I Just Had To
by TheGirlWithNoIQ
Summary: In a mission to track down and follow the Akatsuki to their hideouts, Naruto and Hinata have to be alone in a week. Will Hinata dare to confess to him, and will Naruto understand the feelings he has towards her? Finally complete!
1. Chapter 1

Well, hello there! I'm really happy you clicked on it and found this story interesting enough to check out, and I hope you like it.

First, some info about this fic;

¤ Its in Naruto Shippuuden, so they are 16 years old.

¤It's before Pein attacks Konoha so people don't like Naruto very much...

¤Even though he dies in the anime, Asuma is alive.

Disclaimer; Kishimoto own Naruto and _maxlax _owns the idea. Found the photo on animegalleries..

Hope you enjoy the reading~!

* * *

"W-what… a-are you s-serious…!"

Hinata couldn't believe what Kurenai just said.

The reason why her teacher was standing outside the mighty Hyuuga-clan's house, in the middle of the night hadn't sunk in yet. She didn't dear to hope when her sensei opened her mouth again.

"Yeah… I'm serious." She sighed a bit, shaking her head when she saw her student enormous eyes that just got larger for every single word. "You, Naruto, Kiba and I are going on a mission tomorrow. You will all get more details about it during the mission. Kiba and Naruto have already received the message, so you don't need to tell them… I'm sorry, but I've to pack and you should as well. We will be meeting at our usual place, right in front of the gates. By the way, the mission could take some weeks, so you should pack well."

And with those final words Kurenai walked away from the Hyuuga-clan's house, leaving a certain girl frozen in shock. Her mind was in a kind of coma-state, she was standing there like a tree with a dumbfounded expression on her face. Processing what she just heard she didn't hear some light footsteps coming closer to her.

She squeaked out loud when somebody poked her shoulder and asked; "Hinata, why are you standing like a moron?" right into her ear.

"H-Hanabi!"

"What? Somebody had to tell you, the servants have sent you some odd looks for a while now."

Hinata blushed.

"Anyway… father wants to see you. He wonders why Kurenai was here so late at night. But, are you okay?"

Hinata simply nodded before they walked side by side to their father's office.

-:-.-:-

After telling her father why her teacher had been there, plus telling as much information she knew about the upcoming mission she were free to go.

Hinata quickly went to her room, beginning packing while squeaking like a fan girl every time she thought about her blonde love.

She started to pack necessary stuffs in her backpack: tent, flashlight, sleeping bag, food and of course her little Naruto-doll: she had made it by her own hand when she was 8 years old, not telling anybody who it was when they asked. She wasn't good at making things, and the doll didn't look exactly like her dear Naruto-kun, but she loved it anyway. She could hardly sleep without it, so precious was it to her.

Then the hard part came: What was she going to wear? Hinata didn't have a single clue and she was too embarrassed to ask her sister.

_I should wear something nice, because Naruto-kun is coming to and I want him to notice me._

Hinata looked at her many clothes with a slight frown; she had thrown all of them onto her bed, but she still couldn't decide what to pack.

_**Why do I care about what Naruto-kun thinks? Its clothes for God's sake; I should just wear something I like and feel comfortable wearing…**_

Hinata's sighed when she heard her other part of thoughts, the negative one. She had always had to part of thoughts, one positive and one negative, who argued against each other all the time. It made her insane sometimes, though she never dared admitting it.

_But I love Naruto-kun! I want him to like me to, that's why I want to be dressed in something nice that he would appreciate looking at._

_**Do you really think Naruto-kun likes someone who faints and blushes every time he looks at you? **_

_S-shut up! I have stopped fainting and how should you know Naruto-kun taste? Maybe he likes me!_

**_Dream on, girl. The only girl he likes his his dear, dear Sakura-chan~!_**

A time pasted before the positive thoughts mumbled, _Hmpf… just wait and see…_

When Hinata went to bed later that night she had some weird feelings and thoughts in her head. She took the Naruto-doll and pressed it close to her chest and dreamed dreams about the man she loved.

...

The next day came with a sunny, nice weather. It was a perfect day for a long mission Hinata simply knew they were going to have, for why would her sensei otherwise come to talk to her the night before?

She ate a delicious breakfast, said a quick "Bye-bye" to her father and sister, and went rather early to the agreed meeting-place.

When she came there she saw Kiba playing with his dog, Akamaru. The said dog barfed when he saw her and ran to greet her. The dog's owner spotted her to and said with a smiling face, "Hello Hinata! You're early. Are you excited about the mission?"

"Kiba-kun, you're e-early as well. Yeah, I'm e-excited. A-aren't you?"

"Oh, maybe you're excited for something else…maybe a certain idiotic blonde boy?" Kiba teased, laughed when he saw her blush.

"But to answer your question", he suddenly got dead-serious before saying with a huge smile, slight fear shining in his eyes. "The hell I am. We're maybe gone for days! I will do anything to get away from mom. She scares the shit out of me."

Akamaru barfed in agree, shivered at what his owner just said.

Hinata laughed. Kiba's mother sure was scary.

"Kiba…! Hinata…!"

The Hyuuga girl froze. She could have recognized that voice many miles away. It was Naruto, her love who was running to them with a smiling face. His blonde, messy hair was more wild than usual, something that indicated he woke up not long ago.

"Naruto, you are unbelievable early today. What's up? Had a ramen-nightmare?" Kiba asked with a smirk.

"Ha-ha. Very funny _doggie_," Naruto teased with a grin," I am always early…"

"Stop joking, idiot…"

"Who are you calling an idiot? You…"

And then came the regular fighting between them. Hinata shook her head, but she was actually very glad. She loved to watch Naruto, and when he was fighting he didn't notice her.

"Stop yelling to each other."

Hinata, Kiba and Naruto jumped when they heard Kurenai determined voice few meters behind them.

"Kurenai-sensei! Why are-"

"Stop acting like children! People are looking at you; and I think some of them are scared. A lot of them looks horrified… I'm sorry I'm late but…"

Kurenai took a deep breath, and said calmly with a little sigh; "Are all of you done packing? Then, let's go!"

They had almost past the Konoha-gate, when suddenly Naruto gasped, stressed.

"Wait! I have to get something…"

And before Kurenai could say anything at all he was seeing running to the opposite direction.

"What a jerk! We're going on a mission… idiot…" Mumbled Kiba irritated. Akamaru barked in agree.

Two minutes pasted before they could see a recognizable, yellow-haired one running to them with a little box with a lid that white, thin smoke oozed of.

"There's the monkey…" Kiba mumbled angrily.

"Naruto, what's that?" Kurenai asked when he got to them.

And with the beautiful voice of his he said happily, dancing a little dance. "Ramen-in-box, it's a new idea from Ichiraku. The box seals it from getting cold. Isn't the old man a genius?"

Some second's pasted quickly before Kiba screamed. "He isn't a genius, but he's much smarter than you! We have been waiting here for minutes, we are _in_ a mission and we had to stop because you were going to buy some ramen… What are you…?"

Kiba stooped his rambling when he saw that Naruto were eating from the said ramen-box.

Silent… deadly silence before Naruto asked still munching the food, "What are you all staring at? I just got hungry from Kiba's yelling…"

"I…am… _so_… going" he breathed, "…to…KILL you!"

Kiba became so angry that his face got fire-red. He even gave Akamaru a food-pill. The well-known dog's white fur turned to brown, and he barked in excitement to the upcoming fight.

"Oh yeah… I am going to kill you first!" Naruto sneered madly, he didn't know why Kiba was so upset but he didn't like people who threatened him in any way.

"Stop you idiots! The mission has started."

Kurenai was standing 5 meters from them, she was looking quite impatient… it was clearly _oozing_ from her.

Kiba and Naruto stepped away from each other irritated; they didn't like people who interrupted them, but since it was their teacher Kiba and Naruto shut their mouth and followed the others in the team.

Hinata and Naruto's eyes met, she blushed and looked away biting her lip.

They walked in a creepy silence; none of them said a word. And all of them had different reasons not to.

Kiba, Akamaru and Naruto were too mad at each other, Hinata had nothing to say and Kurenai was… well, irritated.

"Naruto, Kurenai-sensei is hell scarier than my mom…" Kiba loud whisper ended the creepy silence. Naruto laughed and Hinata smiled a little. Even Kurenai had to move her face, even if it was for a tiny grin. And slowly the peace came back in the team.

"Kurenai-sensei, what kind of mission is it?"

Naruto's voice could be heard many miles away, something Kiba found irritating and needing to point out.

"I'm sorry…_doggie_… I forgot the fact that you have dog-ears...unbelievable enough I can see them-"

"You little…!"

"Kiba, Naruto! We're in a mission… stop acting like idiots…"

"We're sorry sensei…" they said in unison.

Kurenai sighed and said much softer, yet determined:

"Remember that we are in a mission… I know you don't like each other, but please act like friends in this mission, okay?"

"Y-yes, Kurenai-sensei…"

And so the first day of mission was, fighting between the two boys and Kurenai's glare right after the events.

Hinata didn't say anything, she became nervous when Naruto was close by, something he usually was, but she also had nothing to say.

Some few accidents did happen though. When Naruto and Hinata had walked next to each other, Kiba had pushed them closer, so they touched. Hinata was always some few inches from fainting, but Naruto just smiled and jumped away a little embarrassed, a faint, pink blush colouring his cheeks.

Many hours later, when it was almost midnight Kurenai stopped and said:

"Well, we're going to stop here. This place would be our camp for the night."

* * *

So, that was chapter one.. what do you think? Good enough to continue reading? Lets hope so, I hope I 'see' you again in chapter number two!:)

Until next time, bye~!


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello, I'm sorry for the long, long, long wait! **

**The reason why I didn't post it earlier was that the screen on my pc got distroyed and I used maybe one-two weeks trying to 'move' my stories to another computer, I know it's a lame excuse but it is the truth!**

**Well, I hope you're not _too_ mad at me and will enjoy the second chapter of 'I Just Had To'. **

**Thanks to the lovely reviews and for taking this story to your favorite/alert list! It means a lot to me!**

**Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto and Maxlax owns the idea! I don't own the photo to this fanfic, I found it on animegalleries  
**

**I'm sorry for future spellings, English isn't my mother-language so I hope you wouldn't be too mad at my mistakes...**

**Read and enjoy!**

* * *

"Okay, we'll set camp for the night. We'll have to split up… Kiba and Naruto must share a tent while Hinata and I will share o-"  
Before the teacher could finish her sentence, the two boys shouted at the same time:  
"What! You're joking right? Me and that idiot… What the fuck!"  
"No! Me and doggie-breath in the same tent!.. I think I've got to puke…"

"Shut Up…" Kurenai said irritated and kept going: "Don't interrupt me when I'm talking… I'm going to tell you what to do now: First get up the tents, and then make a fire. Prepare some food and listen when I'm talking about the mission. Understood?" She said the last thing in a threatening way, the three students swallowed and nodded quickly.  
"Good… Naruto and Kiba, you guys will set up the tents, while Hinata make the fire and prepare the food, Okay?"  
They nodded again, and so they started to work. It didn't take long before Kiba and Naruto started to fight though.  
"What the… Naruto, don't put it there!"  
"Why? It says so in the-"  
"…Because you're going to squeeze my fin- AAARGH!"

"…Hm?"

"You idiot, I'm so going to-"  
"-What are you going to do, Kiba?"  
Kurenai interrupted harshly. Hinata had her back to them so she couldn't see what kind of expression her sensei had, but according to her voice she was pissed off.  
"-kill...um…Hug you!"  
Kiba said in a much kinder voice than he was using before. Kurenai was the reason, Hinata guessed while smiling.  
After the incident they started to work less noisy than ever. The Hyuga girl shifted her gaze to the food again.

_It's fun to make food. I'm not very good at it, but I'm ok. Maybe I should make something special for Naruto-kun?_  
Hinata giggled and tried to figure out what to cook, but Kiba's voice interrupted her:  
"Hinata… when's the food gonna ready, I'm starving!"  
"S-soon… very s-soon…" Hinata blushed, Naruto had looked at her when Kiba asked, and he was still staring. She couldn't read what he was thinking, his face was clueless. She stared back at him while her cheeks became red of embarrassment. It was like his gaze forced her to look at him.

"Hinata, go back to work!" Kurenai shouted with a small grin. She had seen the yellow-hair boy look at her. Luckily Naruto moved his eyes away from her, Hinata could sigh in relief.  
_Why did he look at me? He has never looked at me like that before…_  
Hinata wondered, while she prepared the food. _Does he like me?_  
Her other thoughts yelled evil:  
_**Are you an idiot! Do you really think he likes you? A girl who faints every time he looks at her, who blushes like a moron and who is fucking shy! You're such an idiot… do you know what I think? I think the reason he looked at you were because you're so ugly and he tried to figure out why you're together on this mission?  
**_Hinata went silent after the depressing thought; she started with the cooking again, less happy than she had been for years.

"The food looks lovely, Hinata; I'm looking forward to eat."  
Kurenai-sensei voice startled her: she hadn't heard she was behind the Hyuga girl before the teacher had opened her mouth.

After the depressing thought, had she been thinking, thinking a lot, about her love. Did he think she was ugly? Did he like her the same way as she likes him?

She couldn't answer them, something that made her a little furious.

The food was already done, (vegetables, rice and pork meat), so she had just been staring up in the sky to seek the answer, without finding it.  
And then Kurenai had interrupted her.  
"I-it's done. We can e-eat now-"  
Hinata could hardly end the sentence before Kiba screamed: "Yes…finally!"  
Akamaru barked in agreement and wagged his tail. His eyes shined in as much excitement as his owner.

"Kurenai-sensei, not giving us food is a stomach-abuse!"  
Naruto yelled and sounded deadly angry: he looked at Kurenai with some mad eyes that could make glass shatter.  
A deep sigh came out from the teacher's lips. She didn't bother to answer him, just shook her head and went to find some big stones they could use to sit on when they ate.  
After getting their food everyone sat around the fire in a circle. They ate in silence for some time, hungrily eating the food.

It was a nice, dark night. The moon was shining and the forest was quiet. Sometimes they could hear bird chirping, but as usual the forest was as quiet as a grave. But it was actually a lovely night, not so creepy as you might think.

Naruto broke the silence with a yell:  
"Hinata, you're damn good at cooking" he looked at her with a soft smile, that made her blush, and continued: "I know you'll be a great wife someday…"  
"…" Hinata was too shocked to say a thing.  
_Oh my God… he complimented me! If I'm going to die now I won't care! Hurray!_  
"You fucking idiot! Don't say things like that when we're eating, I'm losing my appetite over here!"  
Kiba shouted with a red face. He made an ugly expression while he gave Akamaru the rest of his food. The white-furry dog ate it with no second thoughts.

Naruto opened his mouth to a sharp reply but the teacher's look made him shut it.

After some minutes Kurenai took the word: "Well, since everyone done eating, I'll tell you about the mission. Listen closely, I'll tell you this only once" she got their attention and said quietly, lowering her voice to a faint whisper:  
"You all know about the organization named Akatsuki? We're going to follow them; we're trying to find out the location of their hideouts… okay?"  
"Why is Naruto on the mission? Aren't they after him?" Kiba asked curious.  
Kurenai took a deep sigh and said a little irritated:

"I don't know why he's on the mission. I don't get lady Tsunade at all… I don't know what went on in her head when she said it… I think she was drunk…"  
The teacher mumbled the last thing, shaking her head before she said with a tired little sigh:

"Since the organization is searching for him, I have decided to split the team into two groups. Kiba and I will be one group, because I need your nose to track them down. Naruto and Hinata will be the second group: They need to be some miles behind us… Hinata, you have to protect Naruto. …You have the Byakugan so I don't think it will be a problem…" Kurenai quickly added when she saw her student horrified look.

The yellow haired boy looked at Hinata while he said:  
"Hinata, don't misunderstand what I'm going to say. This has nothing to do with you. I'm happy to be in the same group as you…"  
Hinata blushed over his words, nodded with a little smile on her face. Her heart beating a bit over the normal.  
Naruto shifted his gaze over to Kurenai and yelled angry. All traces of the little moment between him and Hinata were like blown away:  
"I don't need to be protected! I can kick their asses! I'm strong enough to take care of them on my-"  
Kiba interrupted harshly:  
"Naruto, shut up! You're not capable to take care of your house, so why do you think you can handle this?"  
"Shut up, doggie… I'm strong… God, I have been training with Ero-sennin for three years-"  
"You fucking monkey-"  
"Naruto and Kiba… stop acting like small kids… you're sixteen not five!"  
A deep sigh came out from Kurenai's lips before she continued:  
"Naruto, I know you're strong but the Akatsuki is way stronger. Remember that we're just going to follow them, we're not going to fight… and Kiba," she said tiredly," I know you're not very glad about him, but don't yell at Naruto every time he opens his mouth, okay?"

The boys nodded, but none of them were happy about what their teacher said.  
Hinata was shocked. She was going to protect Naruto!  
"Hinata, are you listening?"  
"W-what…! I'm s-sorry K-Kurenai-sensei…"  
"I said: You will have to use your Byakugan a lot. I know you're capable to use it, but do you think you can handle Naruto as well?"  
Kurenai said with a cute grin, Hinata blushed and nodded.  
_Does she know I have a crush on him?_  
Hinata couldn't believe it; she got scared when she started to wonder if Naruto knew it to. If he knew, she was sure she was going to die of embarrassment.  
"We will split tomorrow. Is everything cleared now?...Good, then goodnight."  
Everyone said 'night', and went to their tents.

Inside the women-tent, Hinata prepared for the night. She curled herself together in the sleeping bag, closed her eyes and tried to sleep, without succeeding.  
The reason was the high noises from the neighbouring tent.  
"Kiba, get that smelly dog out of here!"  
"Shut the fuck up, monkey. Akamaru doesn't smell at all. YOU should leave the tent-"

"What! Why should I leave the tent Doggie…?"  
"Shut the fuck up when I'm talking. I hate people interrupting me-"  
"I'm not interrupting you-"  
Naruto tried to say but Kiba cut him off with a sneer:  
"So what did you do now! If you interrupt me again I'm so going to kill-"  
"Who are you going to kill?"  
"…-you! That's it…"  
Hinata and Kurenai could now hear screaming, barfing and very bad language from the neighbouring tent that didn't even stop for a second to catch a breath, in the end Kurenai got enough and yelled:  
"Go to sleep or I WILL come!"

"…"

Unbelievably enough it got quiet in the boys tent, Hinata bet they got too scared from Kurenai's threat.

After some minutes they could hear snoring, loud and clear, from the boys' tent.  
"They're finally asleep…" Kurenai sighed after a while. She smiled and said happily:  
"We can have our little girl-talk now."  
Hinata got scared, she really knew about the crush!  
Hinata started to cold-sweat, she looked down at the sleeping-bag , didn't dare to look her sensei in the eye.  
"Relax… I'm not mad….. I'm actually going to help you…"  
"Y-Your go-going to help m-me! But why?"  
The dark-blue haired girl couldn't believe what her teacher just said: Hinata thought her sensei was awfully drunk, even though she knew she wasn't.

_But her behaviour could explain it if she was…_  
"Don't look at me like that!" Kurenai laughed and continued a lot more serious:  
"I'm going to help you, and the reason behind is because I know how it is to be in love. I know how tough it can be to tell it to the one you love. That's why I'm going to help you as much as I can. Please don't look so afraid, you make me feel like a bad person…"  
Kurenai laughed the last part, enjoyed her student terrified look. Hinata blushed, whispered a tiny 'sorry' while she tried to make the embarrassment go away.  
"Ho-how will y-you help m-me?" Hinata managed to ask while her face started to come normal again.  
"I will give you some small advices in that area. Do you want me to help you…?"  
"Hell yes!" Hinata yelled without even thinking, she blushed and became fire-red while she quickly apologized for her rudeness.  
But Kurenai just laughed and said:  
"That's the spirit! Here we go."  
The teacher smiled happily, but soon a more serious look came down her face:

"I need to ask you some questions that you got to think about before you answer. The first question: Do you love him?"  
The question startled Hinata, why did her sensei ask a so weird question?  
_I know I love him. I can hardly live without him. He's so handsome, nice, cool, great, funny and silly… he is my 'everything man'…oh God I want him so much…_

Hinata knew she loved him: she didn't really need to think much either. She said so:  
"I know I lo-love him, sensei."  
"Okay… the second question: Do you know a lot about him?"

_Why does she ask so stupid questions?_ Hinata thought a bit irritated.  
_I know so much about him that I can write a biography, a huge biography of him! I know he loves ramen so much that he hardly can eat anything else. I know he want to kick Sasuke's ass next time he meets him. I also know he wants to burn Kakashi's 'Icha-Icha Paradise' books every time he sees his teacher read it. I know so much about him that my head nearly explodes_.  
"Yeah, I know much about hi-him." Hinata said out-loud with a little smile.

"Good. The last and final question: Do you think he loves you back?"  
The tent went awfully silent. The only thing they could hear was the snoring from the 'boys' tent. Hinata was too shocked to think anything at all. Her evil thought came back to 'life' after many hours with silent:

_**I know he doesn't love me back. Which guy on earth will like a stupid girl who blushes, faint and is fucking shy! Not him!  
**_Her evil thought started to laugh creepy while it whispered:  
_**He doesn't love me. He doesn't love me. He doesn't love girls like me…  
**_Hinata started to sweat, her heart were speeding up while she was considered the possibility. She didn't like what she had found out. She looked at Kurenai with teary eyes while she swallowed hard not to cry. The answer was written in her face, she looked at her sensei hopeless.  
"I-I d-don't think h-he l-l-loves me b-b-back…"

Her voice fell at the end, and she started to cry quietly but soon she was crying so loud that Kurenai-sensei had to put a hand over her mouth because she was afraid the sounds would wake up the boys.  
"Hinata, don't cry…" Kurenai mumbled while she gave her student a handkerchief. Hinata sniffled and wiped away her tears.  
"Thanks" whispered the Hyuga girl and gave the handkerchief back to its owner.  
"No, no…you can keep it"  
Kurenai said and laughed: something that Hinata blushed of.  
"Hinata, listen to me. When this conversation is over, I'm sure Naruto will fall for you. Make my words."  
The sensei said with confident in her voice. Hinata had to smile of her teacher's confidence in herself.  
"Okay… enough joking around. It's late and it'll be a long day tomorrow. We should get started."  
Hinata nodded and hid a small yawn with her hand. It sure was late.

Their tent-door was 'open' and they could see stars over stars in the beautiful night. They could hear forest sounds like the birds songs, river that flowed and twigs that snapped when animals were stepping on it. It could be very romantic if she hadn't been sitting there with her teacher, but with Naruto instead.

Kurenai must have thought the same way because she gestured with her hand while she smiled. Saying with a small laugh:  
"Isn't this night lovely? It's the perfect opportunity to confess your love. Maybe you should do it with Naruto? I think he will like it…"  
"B-but what if I say s-s-something s-stupid. W-what if I d-destroy the m-moment?"  
Hinata interrupted quickly, her heart started to beat faster and faster while she tried not to cry again.  
"It will never happen, stupid! That's why we're talking right now, so that you wont act stupid and destroy the moment!"  
Kurenai replied and gave her student a short clap on the shoulder for comfort.  
Hinata took a deep breath and made a tiny smile.  
"Now I'm going to give you advice for the boy you love so much, not sure it'll work but please give it a try, okay?...let us start…"

The talk took a while, two and a half hour to be exact, and when it was done Hinata hardly could have her eyes open, she was so deadly tired.  
Kurenai-sensei had been a great adviser, giving tips for how to talk, walk and all other stuffs the Hyuga girl had no idea about.  
Hinata could hardly keep up with her babbling. It was almost no breaks before her sensei changed subject. Hinata's head was very close from exploding into many pieces. It was _too _much info in such short time.  
But luckily it was over now, and after the long talk she could finally fall asleep.  
The Hyuga girl found her homemade Naruto-doll and with it close to her chest in the sleeping bag, she fell asleep with a smiling face. dreaming about the man she loved and how she was going to make him fall for her.  
"I'm sorry, honey. You're just the first person I've given advice to. I may have overdone it though…"  
Kurenai apologized after sometime.  
"Well, good night…" the sensei said as she got no reply and went to sleep.

* * *

**So, what do you think? Too silly, too OOC or unbeliavable good? I'm sorry if you think Kiba swears too much, I love Hidan and I _may _have switched it into Kiba...**

**It could take a while before I post the third chapter, it's almost done but I leave for vacation in 2-3 weeks so you may have to wait a while... But I will try to post it before I leave! Bye until next time!  
**


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry, sorry, sorry for the late update! I'm so sorry for the delay... I will tell you the excuse after this chapter...

Thank you so much for the nice reviews, and for putting this story on your favorite/alert list. It means a lot to me!:)

**Disclaimer**: Kishimoto owns Naruto while Maxlax owns the idea! I found the photo on animegalleries

- Enjoy

* * *

The light showed it was early morning when Hinata woke up from a dreamless, short sleep. She yawned and stretched her arms while she hid her tiredness away, blinking to clear her mind to the upcoming day.

"…Dog-breath!" was the first thing she heard this early morning and she had to blush a little. The reason why was because she had heard Narutos' voice right outside the tent. And seconds later came he in. The low sun outside made him very beautiful and hot.  
_Wow! The only thing I want right now is to kiss him fucking senseless!  
_The thought made her blush even more than she already was: something that was amazing since she looked like a fire engine.

She didn't know why she thought so directly, it was probably because of the talk with her sensei the previous night

"Hinata… you're awake?" the sound of her loves voice brought her back to reality. She nodded and whispered a tiny "Yes", before looking down at the grown, blushing. When she looked up a few seconds later she caught him staring at her, or not her but the thing she was holding in her hands. Hinata followed his gaze and saw the doll, the handmade Naruto-doll that she had made when she was eight. There was light inside the tent since he stood at the opening with the 'door' open, so Hinata knew he had seen it very well. She quickly hid it under the sleeping bag, refusing to look at Naruto who had a expressionless face.

The said boy broke the awkward silence after a while, clearing his throat:  
"I-I came to say that we're leaving in half an hour."  
Hinata nodded and looked at the ground again, she could hear him disappear out from the tent. The light became darker and Hinata rose up from the ground. She changed her nightwear to her regular outfit (tried many different clothes before she chose the baggy purple sweater she normally wear. The night-talk had made her head spin a lot…), began to pack together all her stuffs in her backpack.  
When she was done and got out from the tent, four pair of eyes watched her.

After one minute with silence Kurenai said:  
"Are you done Hinata? Are you all ready to begin the mission?"  
The students nodded excided and the teacher continued with a little grin.  
"Okay, then let us begin. Kiba and I are going first, you and Naruto follows some kilometres behind. We will make some leads that shows you were we are. You know... small cuts on a tree-trunk or something like that. Hinata, you shouldn't let your guard down… when you have to sleep let a shadow-clone be awake, okay? " She looks at her two students, who nods back, Kurenai continues:

"We will be in two different groups in a week, maybe longer...its depends on how long we'll keep the track on them... is everything okay? Then let's start."  
And with those words Kiba, Kurenai and Akamaru vanished from their sight. Silence…  
"…" Hinata had nothing to say, she was still afraid Naruto had seen the doll so well that he had understood who it was suppose to be so she didn't dare to say a thing to the blond boy beside her.  
"S-should we get going?" The blond boy asks after a while in the uncomfortable silence, the Hyuga girl blushed and nodded.  
They packed the tent together in silence, none of them dared to say a thing. They avoided each other's eyes and both of them had it hard to swallow.

After the packing they silently started to move, jumping from tree to tree without any words. But in the end Hinata couldn't hold it any longer. She stopped her movements; but Naruto deep in thoughts didn't notice, he was many meters ahead her.  
"..Na-naruto-kun…" She said, getting the said boy's attention. He stopped and turned around to face her. She continued with stutters since he glared at her the whole time:  
"D-did you see w-what I h-h-held in my arms… when you c-came and w-waked me up?"  
Naruto nodded and answered:  
"A doll…"  
"Did y-you see what the d-doll looked like?"  
"It was a boy with yellow hair and blue eyes?"  
Naruto said more like a question, he wasn't completely sure.  
"Y-yes… D-do you know w-who it is?"  
Hinata didn't dare to hope. Her heart was beating extremely fast.  
"It..it was a doll of your boyfriend." Naruto said with greeted teethes. Was it jealousy?  
The Hyuga girl gasped for some seconds before she stuttered wildly.  
"…I-it's not m-my b-b-boy-boyfriend! It's s-some-someone I w-w-want…"  
Hinata had to take a small breath before she whispered:  
"Do you know who I w-want?"  
"Nope" Naruto let out a big sigh before he continued: "If I had known him I would have beaten the shit out off him."  
…Silence. Hinata was too shocked to say anything at all. The fact that Naruto was jealous made her head spin violently in trying to figure out why he was jealous.

"Oh shit… did I say that out loud!?"  
The blond boy blushed and scratched his head. Embarrassment shoned from his blue eyes.  
After an awkward moment Hinata said, stuttering:  
"S-should we get go-going?"  
Naruto nodded in reply, he waited till she was next to him before he started to move as well.

The rest of the day was silent. They only spoke to each other when they was stopping for a little break and so. But they used to look at each other when the other person wasn't looking. Just some quick glances to check what kind of mood the other person was in.  
The weather was good that day, hot sun and cold wind, a perfect day to move a lot on.  
Late in the evening, close at night, they came to a place they were going to sleep at.  
The place was close to a river with many fishes and flowers in different colours. The sky was dark with some few stars on; they could see a half moon to.  
They started to do different tasks in silence, Naruto were going to pack up the tent when he realized something he should have realized before.  
Hinata was busy preparing the food, soup, when he heard him say shakily:  
"Hinata… we have to share a tent…"

"What!"

Her dreams had come true; she was going to sleep next to him in a tent, just the two of them. She celebrated silently, made a small smile and closed her eyes.  
"I'm sorry..." What he said made her open her eyes; he didn't want to sleep in the same tent as her!?  
She got sad of the thought and prepared the rest of the food in silence. The thought that Naruto didn't like her made her very depressed.  
"The food is d-done." She said quietly, held the soup into two bowls while she dried away some tears that had begun to fall down her cheeks without her permission.  
"Hinata, are you okay?"  
Naruto asked concerned when he sat down on a stone next to her. His clear blue eyes shone because of a reflection from the moon light.  
Hinata blushed when she saw how beautiful he was and nodded while stuttering:  
"Y-yeah, I'm o-okay…I j-just got some-something in my e-eyes…Um…h-here"  
She gave him his bowl and began to quietly eat from hers.

They ate in silence the rest of the meal, only talked when Naruto complimented her for the lovely soup (there she blushed), or they tried a little small-talk.  
Luckily it wasn't an awkward silence, rather a nice one. After they had finished their meal they sat next to each other with some small grins on their faces.  
"It was nice…" Naruto said after a while.  
Hinata nodded in agree and looked at the dark-blue water. It was relaxing to sit next to each other without saying anything.  
For the first time wasn't she nervous when she was near him; her heart beat was normal and she didn't blush when he glared at her... or not that much.

"Should we go to sleep?"  
Naruto asked after some good minutes. Hinata nodded but blushed when she remembered the fact that they had to share tent. Naruto must have remembered the same because he blushed as well while he mumbled "Oh shit!" Some seconds later:  
"Um… maybe you will go first and change…"

Hinata nodded to an answer and hurried to the tent. She hardly remembered to make a shadow-clone, but luckily she did and made it quick. The clone flew into the woods and the real Hinata quickly got into the tent.  
She changed into her nightwear fast and curled herself into her sleeping bag.  
One minute later she heard Narutos' voice right outside the tent.  
"Are you done? Can I come in?"  
Hinata nodded before she remembered he couldn't see her, with red cheeks she stuttered; "Y-yes."

The tent 'door' opened and a nervous Naruto came in. He stopped for a second to look at her, before he blushed and shifted the gaze to his sleeping-bag.  
He hurriedly jumped out of his sweater, showing his beautiful muscular stomach and arms to Hinata, who blushed of the sight, before getting into his own sleeping bag.  
And then they just lay there, starring at the top of the tent while listening to the other ones breathes. No one said a word: they only sent some quick glances at each other to confirm the other one still were awake.  
Hinata got soon tired and with a sleepy voice she said:  
"G-good night, Naruto-kun…"  
And soon after was she in dreamland.

xx

"Hinata, wake up!" The sound of an excited blond woke the Hyuga girl up. She opened her groggy eyes and gasped when she met someone clear-blue. His face was just some inches from her; she could feel his warm breath lightly on her cheek. She could see that his cheeks were slightly red while his lips were formed in a sensual way... in a _very_ sensual way.

Hinata could just move some millimetres up and his lips would brush against hers. She blushed and looked down, only to see his body halfway over her.

Naruto was holding his arms on either side of her head to hold him up. She could see his strong muscles under the thin, white fabric she assumed was a t-shirt. She felt one of his legs gently brushing over hers.  
Her cheeks become red as a fire while she tried not to think about it. It didn't help.  
_Oh my God! Naruto-kun is so close to me. His lips looks soft, I'm wondering how it will be to kiss them…_  
Hinata got even more embarrassed of the thought, her cheeks got redder than a fire engine.

She could hear her breath become heavier and heavier, more relaxed, and she could hear the boy over her do the same.

Minute after minute left without a single word and movements.

The Hyuga girl's homemade Naruto-doll were laying a half meter from the sleeping bag, but she didn't pay much attention to it, she only paid attention to the blond boy over her.

Hinata wondered how Naruto could have the same position in a so long time without taking a sweat, while the said boy on the other hand wondered why Hinata didn't push him away.

'Why is Hinata blushing like mad?'

He thought while he looked down at her. He was so deep in thoughts that he didn't hear her open her mouth.

"Huh?" He asked.

"Na-Naruto-kun, w-why d-did you w-wake me up?"

"Um..." It took a while for him to remember because the beauty under him made it hard to do, "I...I...Oh!... I were going to wake you up! We're going to leave in a half hour...Um no!... That was wrong...You have exactly 15 minutes to change clothes."

"Ok-Okay..." But none movements were made and they were still staring at each other. Lost in their others' eyes.

"..."

"..."

They didn't say a word, both staring with a slight blush on their cheeks.

_Why aren't I fainting?_

Hinata started to ponder because she hadn't been so close to him before. She was relieved though, because she wanted to remember this moment for the rest of her life.

"Well...I better leave..." Naruto said after some minutes, he got up from the blushing girl, straightened himself up and a second later running hurriedly out from the tent, leaving a puzzled Hinata.

xx

'What the hell is wrong with me!"

Naruto thought angrily while he walked back and fort with some furious movements.

He didn't understand how he could be over her in that position. He were just going to wake her up, but he saw the doll beside her and the curiosity won over him. He'd walked and picked up the doll and stared at it for some minutes, trying to figure out who the guy was, he'd heard some noises from the girl sleeping beside him and had turned his head towards her. When he saw how cute, beautiful and peaceful she looked like sleeping his head had turned blank.

'How can this happen!' He thought again, a tiny drop of sweat sliding down his forehead.

A new feeling started to spread around his body, a happy shivering, pleased feeling. His head became all 'tra-la-la' when he thinks about her. It felt like it was no trouble in the world, that it was happy carefree... no less.

He had known this feeling before, in many years to be exact. It had been shown to Sakura, a female member of his team who he had a huge crush on. He soon figured out that she didn't love him back, but he refused to give up. But after some years with a blue eye and a hurting head it had cooled down to just be friendship. Naruto was happy though, because then he didn't need to get hurt when she refused him all the time.

Even though the kind-hearted feeling had been gone a few years he could recognise it all the same. It was love. With a capital 'L'.

He'd got scared though, when he realized who the love was pointing to, Hinata. The girl who was currently changing her nightwear to a more appropriate clothing. The girl he was paired with in a group, the girl who was in love with somebody else.

'I can't be in love with her!' Naruto thought angrily and took a deep sigh,' I can seriously _not _be in love with her!'

He started mumbling some curses while he quickened his steps back and forth outside the tent.

His head only thinking about one huge question; what was he going to do?

When Hinata was dressed in her regular outfit, had packed her backpack and had 'recovered' from the scene that was filmed only some minutes ago she'd stepped out from the tent and frozen off the sight right in front off her.

Just a meter from her was Naruto pacing back and forth with a heavy aura around him. She didn't need to look closely to understand that he was mad. Really mad. Totally pissed off.

She swallowed a bit of the thought that he was mad at her and used some time to get enough courage to ask:

"Na-Naruto-kun, are you al-alright?"

The said boy froze in his position and Hinata blamed herself for daring to ask.

"...I'm fine" he said some seconds later with a awkward silence, "are you ready to go?"

Hinata nodded, and without a word they started to pack the tent down in its bag.

They started to jump past trees right after they were done packing, with a uncomfortable silence around them. None of them knew how to break it and neither tried.

They switched past trees so quickly that the only thing they could see was a green and brown blur from the plants.

They sent each other looks when they thought the other one wasn't looking, but of course they were.

After maybe two hours with the uncomfortable silence Hinata opened her mouth, she was scared that Naruto was mad at her.

"Na-Naruto-kun...Are y-you mad...?" She looked away from him, stared down at the green grass under them instead.

"...No, I'm not ma- Hinata, watch up!"

Before the said girl could ask why or do anything at all she felt something hard crash against her forehead.

A pained sound came out from her lips when she landed on the ground a second later.

"Hinata, are you alright!?" Naruto yelled some meters over girl's mind spanned around while she tried to formulate a sentence to the concerned boy. It was tough and in the end she gave up. Instead she moved her body from the green ground and pushed it over so that her back was supported to the tree-trunk behind her.

She sighed a bit relived, but a sudden pain made her gasp out loud, and put one of her hands on the beating forehead.

"Are you okay?" Naruto asked again, and due to his voice Hinata understood he was on the ground with her. Close to her, very close to the girl with now blushing cheeks.

Her mind started to become its usual self and the Hyuga heiress could reply back:

"I'm okay, Na-Naruto-kun..."

She swallowed when the said boy only came closer and closer...closer and closer...

She held her breath when he just were some centimeters from her face, his nose only millimeters from her own and one of his fingers brushing slightly over her hand that lay on her forehead.

"You don't seem okay..." The blond boy mumbled, his eyes fixated at hers.

Dark-blue, as dark as the changing sea was his eyes, Hinata could even see a trace of worry printed in it. His eyes were so big and so beautiful blue when he was close to her that she couldn't look away. She liked the way her heavy thoughts vanished and the only thing she could think about was how hot he was. She felt very open in his gaze, and a sudden thought scared her: What if he could read her mind! What if he understood that she was in love in him.

Naruto couldn't breathe well. It was like every time he tried to take a deep breath and fill his lungs with needing air her eyes stops him. Her eyes shined of kindness in a way that he never _ever_ had seen before. None other person he ever had met had shown so much of it, it was like her eyes was filled with peace, that her eyes shone of it.

Even though he tried so hard his eyes wouldn't look away. It scared him, the fact that his body couldn't respond to his prayers, the fact that they _wouldn't_ respond to it. He felt like he was trapped in a trap and it wasn't a way out of it. He thought that her milk-white coloured eyes that clearly said 'relax, I would not harm you' soon would been replaced by ash-black and say 'Haha, you fell for it! Its no way out now'.

Naruto knew the thought was silly, but he really wanted away from her deep eyes that searched for him.

His body wished to be lost in her eyes, his mind as well, that's the reason he wanted away from them.

He'd never felt this strange feeling to desire a thing so much, it was...what's the name?...extreme! That's it! It was extreme to hunger for a thing in that way his body did. But the thing that scared him the most was the fact he deep inside... deep, deep inside himself wanted it as well.

The thing the boy and the girl was too lost in thoughts to notice, the thing they _should_ have noticed, was the fact that their body moved a bit closer to each other for every single second. Just a millimetre but that was enough.

When Hinata and Naruto finally got out from the eye contact, they both got a bit of a shock. For their bodies were close to each other, awfully close to each other.

Their nose were brushing against each other in a silky way, and Naruto had his legs on either side of Hinata's. Their eyes were big when they connected again. It wasn't hard to read the other ones expression, both of them had the sign of curiosity, embarrassment and pure excitement.

None of them had a word to say, it was like their mouths were glued so no one could end the awkward silence that began to rise between them.

During this eye contact their body moved closer and closer... closer and closer, as close as it possible can with no kissing involved. Their mouths were half open, and they breathed hot air into each other. Narutos hands moved up and down her arms, from the shoulder and down to her fingers. The movements were so soft that Hinata shivered of the touch.

After a time that felt like days they finally broke the eye contact that must be one of the longest in the world. Their cheeks had the colour red of embarrassment, because _before_ this mission started none of them had been close to a person in that way before, and in this mission it had happened twice already.

Both boy and girl were breathing heavy in a not particular reason. They looked away from each other, Hinata in the ground while Naruto looked at the high tree-tops above them.

They were still in the same spot as before, only their heads was away from the other one, and none of them seemed to care of the contact it made.

"Are...are you okay? Does it still hurt?" Naruto asked after a while, his eyes still on the tree-tops meters above them.

"No...", Hinata had to think for some seconds before she said a bit surprised. "It doesn't hurt any-anymore... I'm al-alright now.."

"That's good..."

They stayed in silence for a while before Naruto asked if they should get going. Hinata stuttered a 'yes, we should' before both of them stumbled to their feet.

They jumped up to the trees and began moving. They avoided eye contact and didn't say a word. Both of them had thoughts spinning around in their heads that they didn't want to share. Thoughts that had been there for a while and didn't want to move away before they got answered if they were a question. Thoughts that made the person thinking them get a huge headache. Thoughts that involved the other person.

* * *

Okay, what do you think? Do you think I am a bit fast with the relationship?

Anyway... the excuse:  
I couldn't be done with this chapter before I went to vacation, and my pc is broken so I couldn't write anything in the vacation... When I got home around three weeks later I jumped on the task to be done with it... and I did a week later!:)  
I then began to write chapter 4, and I'm half-way through it soon... It took some weeks before my (kind of) beta-reader had time to read this chapter and fix mistakes... we both was busy in other things, but its done now! Okay...I know the excuse was a bit lame... but it is the truth:p

If your think I'm quitting this story because I haven't updated in a long time, then your wrong. I'm a lazy ass so this story will take time but I will be done with this story!:) I have planned it out, so I know how many chapters it will be...

When I have written chapters I have thought about some small details I have forgotten to write in previous chapters so I will re-read and re-write this story when I'm done with it...

Until next time... Bye!


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello**, it's been a while! I'm sorry! So sorry!

**DISCLAIMER: **Kishimoto owns Naruto, _maxlax _owns the plot while somebody somewhere in some place owns the photo... I found it on anime-galleries.

I'm not Brittish, American or Australian so don't be mad if I have mistakes...

Let's just get this story started!~

* * *

After the incident that caused yet again Naruto and Hinata to be too close to another a silence began to spread. It wasn't a bad one, or a good one, it just was a silence that hung between them and wouldn't vanish no matter what.

Naruto and Hinata tried to have a little small-talk to see if it went away, but it didn't. They tried to see if it backed away if they held an eye contact with each other, but they didn't dare to hold it longer than seconds and when they removed it the silence was still there. Hell, Naruto even tried to sing one of his favorite songs to see if the singing scared it away, yet again...it didn't.

Naruto Uzumaki wasn't a person to give up, he never _ever _gave up on things but in this case he did. No matter what he tried or how much he tried it the silence still hung around them, to be frank it annoyed him.

'Everything was so nice between us... But now it's just plain awkward, I don't like it' He silently stated when he caught a glimpse on his blushing teammate.

Ever since the accident her face had been red, as red as the freshest tomato on sale in the busy markets. Naruto wondered surprised why she didn't faint with all the masses of blood swimming in her face, coloring that amusing shade.

'She looks so cute...' Wait a minute, why did he just think that? Ever since the incident he'd thought so. Every time he thought about her the little word came passing by... _cute_…

He got chills down his back, he hadn't thought about her that way before so why did he now all of a sudden?

Sure, she wasn't bad-looking. The short glances of her face seconds before she hides it from his view reasons still unknown to him have shown him that plenty of times. But cute, he didn't use that word on girls often, they were more nice or in Sakura's case, extremely violent. He began shuddering of the thousands of times she had shown it and therefore turned his attention to a calmer, quiet girl that is one of his favorites. You guessed right, Hinata Hyuuga.

He watched her at the side of his eye, noticing how her vase of blue-colored hair swung from side to side with the movements of them jumping through the forest. Even though her skin was as pale as the snow the sun made her look healthy and… hot.

'She's so cute...' he thought yet again blushing when he met her white emerald eyes.

Meeting his gaze she quickly turned her view to the other direction, still far too shy to get caught in his blue-filled sight.

She just couldn't forget it, how every single touch he made felt when he tried to figure out if she was hurt in any place or not, how his finger lingered longer than he needed to in those special places.

How his hot breath tickled her and how his chest rose and fell when he shakily inhaled and exhaled.

Hinata let out a dreamily sigh of her imagination and turned her attention up to the sky that slowly changed to a darker shade of blue.

Letting yet again her mind drift into the accident her heart skipped a beat when she was awfully close to a tree-trunk, she snapped out of the river of thoughts and scolded herself of her own stupidity.

Even though she truly wanted to because of what happened last time, she knew crashing into a tree-trunk wasn't the best idea. Her relationship with Naruto was just a thin tread at the moment and it only needed a miss-use of words to break it. She didn't want it to happen and thereby kept her mouth shut.

The young boy and girl jumped past huge trees while the sky got darker and darker as time passed by. They hadn't uttered a word to each other; neither of them brave enough to break the silence that sneaked between them and that only got heavier and heavier as seconds came and went.

The sun was behind enormous dark clouds when Naruto opened his mouth. He had to clear his throat because he hadn't used it in many hours.

"Hinata... are you tired?"

"Um... a little," she answered. "A-are you?"

"A little..."

The silence came again, right after their weird little talk.

They didn't look at each other just jumped past trees side by side.

Around the silent boy and girl, it slowly got darker and darker. The wind got stronger and Hinata could see animals running to places to be safe for the upcoming storm.

The clouds were dark-grey and they grew over the hour ago heavenly blue sky. Soon light rain came falling down and Naruto said it was enough for the day.

The little team discovered a cave, thanks to Hinata's Byakugan, and they hurriedly got inside from the rain that fell faster and faster down around them.

The boy and girl's eyes met but a sudden grumble from someone's stomach made them laugh nervously and look away.

"...I'm hungry..." he stated touching his belly, something that made Hinata laugh a bit more freely.

"Me too..." she said biting her lower lip.

They began looking for dry twigs to use for fire, and after minutes looking both up and down they found some.

Hinata quickly started to make hot, vegetable soup that soon lightened up and made a lovely aroma around the dark cave. The little team sighed delighted and closed their eyes for a little silence that came passing by, only getting shaded by the grumble of a known blond boy's stomach.

After the eating that Naruto said grinning that was almost as good as ramen (there Hinata blushed as mad), they began to go to sleep. The Hyuuga made a shadow clone who disappeared out from the cave and in to the deep forest around them.

Naruto turned his back to her when Hinata changed her regular outfit to a nightwear, and only turned when the Hyuuga girl lay in her sleeping-bag and said he could.

The blond boy wordlessly took his sweater off and jumped inside his sleeping-bag. A silence came around and they had to sigh in annoyance for the awkwardness that soon began fluttering. Why must it be awkward!

It wasn't any light in the cave; the fire was dead, and so late at night it was awfully dark outside and inside.

The rain still fell, much heavier than only seconds ago, and the boy and girl could hear the sound of thunder come closer to where they were.

Hinata shoved a hand down her backpack that lay beside her, blindly looking for her little Naruto-doll. She didn't find it.

_Maybe I'm looking in Naruto-kun's bag? _

She thought, even though she knew she wasn't. His bag was on the other side of the cave, two and a half meter from her.

_But where is it then?_

She decided to check the backpack again, but she began panicking when she didn't find it.

She didn't know where it was, and she wondered how she was going to sleep without it.

"Na-Naruto-kun..." she whispered and looked at his dark form. Even though it was as good as black she could see a little after a moment waiting patiently, thanks to her special eyes.

"Yes...?" was his sleepy reply.

"...I c-can't sleep..."

A silence went, "Are you afraid of the thunder?"

"N-no, its not t-that..." she looked down and began poking her fingers.

"What's the matter then?" He asked, blinking his eyes in an attempt to be more awake.

"Um..." the Hyuuga thought how to formulate it before she just jumped on it: "I lost my d-doll."

She blamed herself for even bother Naruto with it since he now probably thought she was childish.

Some minutes came and went where it was as silent as the cold grave. Hinata still looked at the ground, ashamed this time while the blond boy froze in his actions.

He was fully awake now, and his brain went round and round in circles in an attempt to figure out what to say.

Naruto couldn't believe she had lost her doll. He had seen her sleeping there she had held it so tight he was surprised it wasn't destroyed yet. It looked quite old; he knew she really cared about it when she had kept it so long.

A jealousy began to form inside him when he remembered when she told him that it was a doll of a boy she cared deep for. A boy she wanted. A boy she loved...

"Do you want me to look for it?" he heard himself ask and it surprised her quite a bit, he knew thanks to her quick reply.

"No! The w-weather is awful. I don't want y-you to look f-for it..." a silence went before she said quietly: "…and I t-think it f-fell out when I c-crashed earlier..."

A tiny blush colored his cheeks when he remembered what had happened just some hours ago, how close they where to…you know…doing couple-like things…

"So, what are you going to do?"

"...C-can I sleep n-next to y-you..?"

Silence until Naruto managed to utter: "S...sure!"

"R-really?" yet again his question surprised her.

"Really, you need to sleep to... come here..."

He helped her move her sleeping bag next to his, blushing a bit as he did so. Both of them lay down, closing their eyes waiting for the sleep to come. It didn't.

"Na…Naruto-kun, I can't s-sleep…"

"Me neither" was his confused reply.

They looked up at the stone-roof above sheltering them for the strong storm outside. The boy and girl didn't lay tense; both relaxed, waiting for the sleep that never came.

"Hinata, are you asleep?"

"No..."

"I think I'm too awake to sleep..." he mumbled and scratched his head.

"I'm so s-sorry for w-waking you up-"

"Hey-hey, its okay..."he suited her. "You couldn't sleep, you shouldn't be sorry. Think about being up all night and then start moving early in the morning, it would be like hell so it's a good thing you told me..." he whispered, brushing her arm slightly up and down in comfort.

Hinata didn't know why, but his soft movements made her brain a blur of pure nothingness. Her eyelids got heavy, and soon they were close. Her breathing got slower and slower; seconds later she danced in dreamland.

Naruto watched the blue-haired girl soon drifting into sleep.

'Wow, she must have been sleepy...' he thought brushing her arm up and down. He didn't know why he did it; it just felt...oh, what the word..._natura_l at that time and space.

'Maybe...' he thought looking at the moving hand, 'maybe I have a magic hand!'

Yes, it had to be it, it must be it! He smiled thinking about all the times things just had to be explained by it.

'Well...I brushed my finger on Hinata's bruise -after the little accident- which she had on her forehead and her headache disappeared...and... Yes, my hand made her sleep just now! But...it's just two; it would be more convincing to others if it was three...' He sighed while he scratched his head for one more moment there his hands had made it better...

In his deep thoughts, Naruto hardly sensed that Hinata took his hand in hers, moving her body slightly closer to his in her slumber, of course.

'Hmm... In what moment did I use my hand to ma-'

His thought-stream vanished when he saw it. Her hand planted in his.

'Oh yeah, my magic hand made hers move closer to mine! I knew I had it, I just knew I had a magic hand!'

He danced a little dance to celebrate the discovery, before he looked at his current teammate. He stared at her, taking in her beautiful features, how her chest rose and fell when she breathed, how her hair lay tangled around her and how the peaceful expression of hers made his heart skip a beat.

During his little 'watch' his eyes got heavier due to tiredness and in the end he closed them, falling right into his own, weird dreamland.

XXX

Hinata opened her eyes after one of her best nights of sleep, feeling wide awake and energetic. Smiling, she and got up in a sitting-position, looking around the cave, questioning her surroundings before realization hit her a second later.

A warm hand puzzled her since it was cold air inside the cave so early in the morning. She curiously looked down at it, a blush coloring her cheeks when she saw why.

They were holding hands; she was holding hands with a sleeping Naruto! She looked down at him, a small smile forming her lips when she heard him snore ever so slightly.

After a while of staring at him she got chills down her back due to the cold air, she got up and quickly changed her clothes to her normal one, made a face when she smelled something. It stank of sweat and other things she didn't want to think about at that moment.

She understood it was time to take a shower.

When her shadow-clone disappeared in the well-known white smoke she got information of a waterfall some miles to the west. After taking a quick glance on Naruto, there she saw him sleep soundly with his mouth widely open, she knew she could hurry to the waterfall, take a quick shower and come back before he woke up.

Knowing this, she sent the sleeping blond a last look before jumping into the woods on the west-side, to the waiting waterfall.

While she jumped, the air got warmer, the animals began to wake up and the insects started to make their familiar noises.

Hinata smiled and looked around; saw how the moving sun made it lighter in the forest. How the birds flew, hunting for food and how the old leaves swirled around before landing at the green grass that still were wet after the raining the previous night.

It was a peaceful morning, and Hinata relaxed smiling brightly, watching the world awake around her.

Using her Byakugan one more time she figured out what direction she had to take and was luckily close by.

Getting there the waterfall looked rather small, but thanks the open area around it, it seemed massive against its surroundings.

In an open, huge field a kind of mountain-like berg rose, water fell down from it in such a huge speed that white steam oozed up into the sky, making it look like fairytale so early in the morning.

A tiny, snakelike river followed the water from the bottom of the waterfall down the open field until it vanished into the woods and out of view.

Hinata barely managed to stand and looked at the sight in front of her not even trying to hide the awe from her eyes. She'd never seen anything like it before.

_Wow... _was the silly thing her mind could think and after moments of just standing there she realized why she was here in the first place, she blinked and went to the waterfall taking her needing shower.

XXX

A loud grumble could be heard inside a quiet cave, then nothing.

A grumble number two came close behind, and yet nothing happened.

But then it came again, much louder than before, and a blond boy woke up with a cry.

"Okay, okay! I'm awake, don't be mad Iruka-sensei..." he said half-sleepily, waving his hands up in the air. He waited to hear his sensei demanding him to go to the academy but... it didn't come.

He blinked and sat up in a sitting position, taking in his surroundings.

It was dark, pitch-black and ice-cold. Naruto realized he wasn't home in his apartment, he was in a cave. A freaking cold cave he shivered in… it was cold after all.

'Where am I?' he thought taking in everything he saw, 'have someone putted a lame prank on me in my sleep, someone in my class? It has to be Kiba…'

He scratched his head, and finally after some good seconds he remembered where he was and why he was here.

'I'm on a mission, that's it! I'm supposed to follow the Akatsuki to their hideouts. Kurenai-sensei split us into two small groups. I'm with...uh...Hinata!'

He looked around his surroundings one more time, trying to see his teammate or just a little glimpse of her purple hair. He didn't see anything that was related to her... only her sleeping bag that lay next to him, with no sleeping Hinata inside.

'Where is she?' he looked around one last time before deciding its time to get up. He did so and changed into a new pair of clothes since the first pair smelled like... he didn't really want to tell.

When he was done he looked around his surroundings for maybe the sixth time this morning, but yet his teammate was nowhere in sight.

A murderous grumble made him jump; he looked around to see where it had come from.

'Maybe it's a bear, a huge bear that slept inside this cold cave last night when we got here and therefore didn't see?'

He thought and carefully scanned the things around him looking for fur he guessed the bear had.

Grumble number two came and he understood it came from himself, his stomach to be more exact.

'That's why I woke up? …Because I was hungry?' He shook his head, but the sound came again and he could feel how empty his stomach was.

'Damn...I'm hungry...'

He walked to his backpack, where he knew he had a bit food left, and found something edible. He ate it, sighing in delight for the taste that filled his mouth. He even closed his eyes for showing how much he enjoyed it.

Some footsteps outside could be heard coming closer and closer to where he was, quickly Naruto opened his eyes and looked at the cave opening, his body in a defensive stand.

His eyes widened when a person stopped at the cave entrance, the sunlight behind made him see her perfectly.

Hinata stood there with wet, curly dark-blue hair that attached itself to her, her clothes was clean and Naruto understood that she had changed it. The pale skin to her dark, messy hair made him gasp when he saw how beautiful she was, like a wild goddess.

He stood there dumbfounded, a pink blush arise on his cheeks when their eyes met.

"Na...Naruto-kun..." she felt slightly uncomfortable under his gaze, she looked at the ground while she poked her fingers together.

"..Uh..." The blond boy tried to figure out what to say, staring at her like that made him feel like an idiot.

"..Are you hungry..?"

"..Yes…"

She walked and gratefully took the food he offered before sitting down beside him.

The breakfast was in silence, a silence both of them had begun to know since their little mission started just some days ago. They didn't bother make it go away since they knew their tries would be in vain.

Instead they ignored it as much as they could, both taking interest in the food they had in their hands.

When the eating was done they begun packing their things and then they started moving.

XXX

Naruto didn't know why his heart was beating so fast, why it made such a huge beating noise, he was sure Hinata heard it as well.

His hands got sweaty all the time, and even though he dried it away on his clothes it got back as warm and sweaty as it was some minutes later.

He didn't know why his body was like it was, or how he could make them be normal.

The only thing he knew was how long it had been like this, or... how long it had been more remarkable than it was before.

His heart and hands had become far out from his control when he had seen her after the shower, at the moment he stared at her and made her become uneasy, and that was over three hours ago!

And if that wasn't enough, he had begun being nervous around her. He had begun thinking _before_ he spoke and he'd never done that before! People knew him from speaking straight forward, and now he thought before uttering a single word. Something was extremely wrong with him, that he was very sure of.

'Your in love!' his head sing-song for an answer.

'Hell no, I can't be!' He argued back.

'Don't be stupid, you know you are.'

'How could you know, you're inside me!'

'Well, du-uh. That's why, moron.'

'What did you just call me?'

xxxXxxx

Hinata didn't know what was wrong with Naruto, he had been doing weird things she hadn't seen him do before.

He had an annoyed face and it looked like he was in a kind of fight with someone, someone she couldn't see. His hands was tightly clenched together and he would sometimes look straight at her face with a searching mine on his beautiful features.

She could see he didn't find what he searched for because he would have a relieved face when he looked away, his shoulders relaxed, but after some minutes he would again be tense, look at her and then relax with a sigh... and the cycle would continue.

Hinata did also notice that he would take his hands to his clothes and do some moves that reminded her of drying something off. And that he used to do it the moment _before _being tense and look at her.

She had never seen anybody do those things before, in that order and then do it later just the same.

She began to worry for him, but she was afraid he would be upset if she asked him.

In the end her worry got the best of her, she looked at him for a while biting her lower lip: "...Naruto-kun, are y-you alright?"

He literally jumped two meters up in the sky before relaxing. But a more serious face came claiming his features.

"I'm...fine," she knew he didn't sound like it. He sounded rather angry... even gloomy.

"...o-okay..."

Nothing else got said between the two in their sixteen's, not a single word. They moved in a fast pace, but slow enough to see minor cuts on the tree-trunks from the other little group, Kurenai, Akamaru and Kiba.

They had agreed to have markings in the trees to let Hinata and Naruto know where to go. Low and small enough to let other people believe it was made of an animal.

"You have to look for it every time. Who knows when we switch directions?" Kurenai had told them warningly when she showed them the marking, two minor cuts near each other.

XXX

The blond boy and blue-haired girl hadn't eaten a proper meal in hours, only slight dry sandwiches they had left in their backpacks.

None of them dared ending the silence, Naruto was yet stressed and thought about his strange feelings while Hinata was afraid he would get even more moody.

Around them the world began to sleep. It came remarkable darker and the wind colder. Birds and animals went to their homes and began to sleep; bats and owls began their usual night hunt while insects like flies and spiders quickly went to hide not wanting to be food for these hungry animals who only hunted till the sun arise the next morning.

It came much, much quieter to put it differently. The bird chirps disappeared while it came fewer and fewer sounds from animals. It got so quiet that Hinata winced every time a twig snatched or wings sounded up in the air.

She didn't like the darkness; she didn't like to be jumping past threes at nightfall in a mission. Her senses were in high alert and every single breath, snatch or something she heard made her jump.

She could handle when she was in a team with many people, there she felt safe because she knew they could protect her, but know when it only where her and Naruto, he she also had to protect, made her become extra on guard for hidden dangers and threats. She had to admit that she had begun being a bit paranoid as well.

"Maybe it's enough for today?" Naruto asked after seeing her exhausted look. They had held the same speed for what felt like years even though it just was a couple of hours.

The blond boy knew he had pressed her too much, he felt bad forgetting she hadn't as much Chakra as he had. He cursed himself under a quick breath before looking at his teammate who looked surprised if not a bit relieved for what he just said. "A-are you sure?" She asked him, "We don't need to stop now…"

"I think it's for the best", he said meeting her eyes in a moment that felt like eternity; "we have been moving nonstop for hours."

When he saw how relieved she looked releasing a breath he hadn't noticed she held he blamed himself for being so oblivious for her sake.

They stopped where they stood; taking in the surroundings they could possible see with the weak light coming from the moon that only a second ago came into their view.

Deciding for a little place that perfectly laid cornered by huge scary-looking trees that hid well for unwelcomed visitors they camped up their tent.

Naruto quickly went looking for dry twigs they could use for fire, not telling her the real reason was because he needed alone-time trying figuring out why he acted so strange earlier, leaving a certain Hyuga puzzled alone fetching up things she where going to use for cooking the meal they sorely hungered for.

She knew something was up with him, that something again occupied his train of thoughts in a matter that made him become uneasy and rather… _jumpy_. But, she didn't know what. She didn't know what he thought, what filling his mind in a way that made him so unlikely himself. A bad feeling begun to grow inside her though, a feeling that told her she had something to do with the thoughts that clearly made her love act in the way he did now.

XXX

"Fuck this shit!" Naruto cursed breaking the twig he held in his hands in two. His breathing was uneven and his mind drifted into yet again seeing his blue-haired teammate.

She stood there, surrounded by freshly colored grass that smelled wet and… healthy? Either way, he liked it. She smiled and waved at him, showing such a beautiful smile making him become frozen, breathless for bloody many minutes. When he gets control over his body she stands right in front of him, saying something he cannot hear. Then she moves her upper body closer to him, her arms lazily around his neck. Her head comes closer to him, so much closer, even closer than closer…

"Come on!" He yells angrily, breaking the stick in even more smaller parts. In blind, boiling red rage he kicks his foot roughly against a tree-trunk, yelping there after in pain when he retreats it. He drops his sticks, taking his hands fast to his hurting toes trying to lessen the pain.

'Okay, right now wasn't one of my best ideas…' he thinks, shaking his head while jumping on one foot, obviously because the other one was hurting so much that he didn't dare try use it in any way.

While he jumped on the not-hurting foot he tried to calm down his boiling temper, thinking about the delicious ramen he was going to eat when they got back to Konoha.

'Yummy…' he thought trying not to drool of what he imagined in his mind, 'something else that's yummy is how good-looking Hinata looks when she smile-'

He stopped, didn't want to end that sentence that made him blush slightly in imagination.

His eyes twitched for a second before calming down, not wanting to hurt another body-part.

He swallowed when a little flash of her filled his mind yet again. He really needed to control himself before he lost it!

Taking a few breaths he released his fingers from the toes that had stopped throbbing. He took the foot carefully down to the ground, sighing in relief when it didn't sting in pain anymore.

Reminding himself that Hinata would be worried if he didn't come back soon he looked at the sticks on the grass that where in much worse shape than him.

He told himself it would be wise if he found more they could use to the fire before he came back.

XXX

"Hinata, you must be one of the best cooks in the whole Fire-country."

Hinata blushed for maybe the thirtieth time this night, happy but embarrassed of his many compliments.

They had just finished their meal, both filled with delicious food the blond couldn't shut his mouth about.

"Don't be embarrassed, I really enjoyed eating it. It was absolutely perfect!"

Again she blushed and Naruto let out a low sigh of her shyness. It annoyed him sometimes but he had to say… she really looked cute blushing as she did.

As Naruto was entangled about her beauty and how cute she looked blushing, Hinata was trying very much not to faint.

She had never had so much attention on her; she didn't know how to react to it. Especially when he looked at her in that rather… intimate way!

Her blush got stronger and she began poking her fingers together not daring stare at him again. She inwardly wondered why he looked at her in that way though.

After minutes with poking fingers Hinata dared looking up just to see he wasn't there. She looked around terrified he had been kidnapped or even worse… got sick of her and simply have walked away. She knew some people thought her poking her fingers were extremely annoying.

When she heard footsteps from her right she sighed relieved. She had gotten a glimpse of a recognizable spiky blonde hair.

"Maybe it's time to go to bed?"

"..Yeah…" she stood up and blushed when she saw how he looked at her. Analyzing her with his gaze, but deep into his eyes she could she longing, clean hunger.

She swallowed while she tried to take control over her rabid beating heart, she was sure he could hear it as well as loud as she could.

"…"

Naruto stared at her, saw how she tried to hide the blush that colored her cheeks in that unnatural shade, it amused him none the less.

The fire was slowly dying, and soon they couldn't see a thing. It was like a kind of dice came and made it hard to see. Around them the air got colder and the forest got quieter as the night-hunters flew to another place.

It was a magical night, a magical and beautiful night.

"N-Naruto-kun, I can't s-see a t-thing…" and the truth was, she couldn't.

"…Let me guide you then." he said, his voice a bit thick. "Let me hear your voice and I will find you."

"O-okay..." she swallowed a bit, biting her lips while she fixated her gaze to where she knew he stood.

"Um…N-Naruto-kun, w-what should I s-say?"

"Anything, the only thing I need to hear is your voice."

"Okay…" she said, biting her lips yet again. She felt stupid, useless when she thought that he looked for her. She was a Shinobi; she should do things on her own and not count on someone else every single time she was in trouble.

Deciding on that she took some small steps to the area she had heard his voice.

"Hinata, you must say something. I can't find you if you don't."

The blond boy said his voice wavering slightly. He took some steps to the place he had heard her last time, unbeknown that she took some steps towards him.

"Bam!" their bodies collided, both fell to the ground with a loud 'ouch!'

"…N-Naruto-kun?"

"…Hinata?"

They let out a sigh of relief before Naruto asked a bit concerned, "are you okay?"

"Y-yeah, are y-you?"

"Yeah… but, why didn't you say anything? I was worried."

"I'm so s-sorry..."

"It's okay" he sighed, scratching his head."… But how did we crash? The steps I made were far too small to come to the place you were in."

She twitched on her spot on the ground before saying a bit ashamed. "I w-walked to you... I f-felt bad just s-standing there..."

"Oh..." he said thinking a bit before he said reassuring.

"It's okay. I like to help people."

When she didn't say anything back he stretched a hand towards her in attempt to pat her shoulder in comfort. It didn't happen; instead he touched her cheek in a gentle manner.

"…" her cheeks got redder than the reddest red. She was glad he couldn't see her, because if he did he would see how the love to him was glowing from her eyes. She was sure her eyes shined like a star.

Naruto blushed when his fingers touched her skin, he had really misjudged where her shoulder was when he sent his hand from to her.

He was surprised how warm and soft her cheek was, how good it felt to his own fingers. There was a good feeling that jumped inside him when the touch connected.

He felt himself become red; he was blushing like a lovesick teenager! Okay, he w_as _a lovesick teenager but even though, he didn't want to act like it.

He took the hand away after a struggling minute. Half him wanted him to let go before he came into more trouble than he possible needed while his other half wanted him to touch her and never let go, but in the end his 'first' half won the round.

Even though, when he removed the hand he felt a bit lonely and in a tiny hope he thought she did it as well.

A silence came between them in a moment that felt like a year, the only thing that stopped it to come into an awkward one was the sentence Naruto said.

"It's time we go to sleep."

The only thing Hinata managed to do was nodding, a second later were she helped up from the ground.

A strong but gentle hand found hers and he led her to the tent. She stumbled a bit and so did he; they couldn't see a living thing after all.

Luckily they fell into the tent not getting hurt in the process. Not a single word got sent between them while both of them fetched their backpack and found their flashlights.

They felt stupid not using it in the first place.

With the flashlight on Naruto went out from the tent, letting Hinata change her outfit in privacy.

When she was done he came inside again, jumping out of his clothes and flew inside his sleeping-bag, not sending her a single glance in the process.

He turned his back to her before going to sleep, trying to lessen the pink blush that colored his cheeks like a streetlight at night.

Hinata was also in her sleeping-bag, laying there with her face pointed to him… or the back of him. She looked at him, tried to figure out why he seemed so_ angry_ all of a sudden.

When he had left the tent for her to change clothes he had looked rather emotionless, like he thought extremely hard on something. But, when he came back one minute later he seemed so angry, like he was fuming over something. He didn't look at her the short time he needed to get out of his orange sweater and pants before getting into his sleeping-bag, not even once!

He held his hands over both his cheeks in a way that made her think he hid something for her. His pace was faster than it usually was, it made her suspect even more that something was wrong with him.

Back to present she could hear his breath. Slow and with some small grunts here and there. She had to smile a bit, before her gaze ended on the light source to his right. His flashlight, he had thrown it somewhere when he came inside the tent but the light was still on and he hadn't bothered shutting it.

She sighed but it only made her worry more for the sake of him. Something really was wrong with him, she was sure of it.

After a moment with thinking of possibilities why he had acted the way he did she got out from the sleeping-bag, walking to the flashlight to turn it off.

Her steps were silent, not wanting to wake the blond up from his deep slumber.

She crouch herself into a sitting position and were about to turn it of when a sound to her left made her freeze and turn her head fearfully to the place she had heard the sound.

It was Naruto; he had changed his body position till he lay on his back, his face upwards.

Hinata let out a relieved sigh before she noticed something. The light from the flashlight made his face look gorgeous!

The light made his features look like a god's, handsome and cute at the same time. His blond hair looked spikier than ever and the yellow light made her see every single strain of hair. He had his mouth a bit open and she could see how pretty his teeth looked. She stared at him, hypnotized of his beauty.

And it was that beauty that made her look at his cheeks, they looked so damn soft! She felt dragged to it, the cheek closest to her. She moved her head slowly closer to his, her breath becoming heavier the closer she got to his sleeping face.

It was that look in his sleep, that look that made her want to kiss him. Kiss his cheek.

_**Stop, don't do it! **_ Her negative thoughts yelled, there it came to life after being 'dead' for quite some time. Hinata had wondered where it had been, but she wasn't exactly glad it came back. _**It will just make things even worse between you two.**_

_Come on; don't listen to this party-killer. Just do it already, you have longed for it a very long time!_

And there's the positive one, Hinata had to let out a deep sigh. But she was still unsure for what to choose. Did she dare to kiss him? Or should she back down and pretend she never ever had thought it?

_Besides he's soundly asleep, it wouldn't be any consequences later. _

Hinata, after hearing those words made a decision, she did it. She kissed him on the cheek. Just a peck, a short peck on the cheek but it was long enough for Hinata to must forcefully push herself away or she would have kissed him even more.

Her eyes looked his face over one last time before standing up, but two clear-blue eyes that met hers made her squeak out loud with a flushed face.

He was awake; her dear and deeply-loved Naruto-kun was awake! He looked at her with a shocked expression on his face, and with pink cheeks that soon matched hers.

"Did you…. Did you just kiss me? O-on my cheek?"

Hinata, that knew that it was stupid lying since A; she wasn't good at it and B; he had possibly seen her do it, nodded slightly. She didn't dare looking at him; her face was directed at the ground while she poked her fingers together, she nervously waited for how he's going to react

"…why?"

The question startled her; she looked up with wide eyes but looked down when she met his for a split second that seemed like a lifetime.

She didn't know what to reply, her heart was beating faster and faster while her head spanned around in attempt to figure something out to say.

In the mean while, Naruto waited patiently for her to say something, anything. He really wanted to figure out _why_ she kissed him on the cheek.

He had been asleep, asleep a long time. But he was a light-sleeper, believe it or not! He had heard her walk slowly to where he 'slept' soundly, quiet not to wake him up. He was curious what she was doing, but he didn't want to open his eyes.

His body got tense when he heard her come closer to where he laid, he heard fabric come closer to him and in just some few seconds he had felt something wet on his cheek. He wasn't a genius but he knew perfectly well that it was her lips he had felt. Her big, soft, sensual lips…

"…I-I w-wanted to..."

He looked at her completely speechless. She wanted to!

She wanted to kiss him on the cheek?

He saw her face flushed more and that her poking got more and more fast.

"I-I like y-you…"

Again she left him speechless. She liked him, she really liked him!

A strange feeling began to spread around him. He was happy; he was happy, glad that she liked him. Because in this very trip he had begun having feelings towards her, a flushing feeling that only got stronger and stronger as time between them got spent.

Hinata finally said it, she finally confessed to him. Her childhood love, the love that only grew stronger as years passed. Inside herself she felt relieved, relieved that she had let it out after _years _of complete silence. But she was also scared, scared that he didn't like her back. That he would straight on say 'no', that he would say it and then pretend it never happened…Or that he ignored her all the time, that their weak friendship would vanish as quickly as air.

She stiffened when she saw he got up from the sleeping-bag, his face towards her.

She didn't dare to look up when he walked to her, didn't want to see his face when he told her off.

She definitely didn't think he would take his fingers to her jaw, tilting her head upwards till their eyes met.

They stared at each other in a time that felt like eternity. No one said a thing, both holding their breaths; it only made her more nervous to his upcoming refusal.

Why should someone like him like someone like her, right?

The next thing he did was unexpected for both sides. He bent his head down, slowly till they were in eye-level; he let out a shaky sigh before he moved his lips to hers.

Hinata's eyes widened when their lips connected, gentle and soft but tempting at the same time. Her heart skipped some beats and she shivered of the new experience he showed her.

They tested each others mouth, careful at first but when the other one didn't back away or do anything to tell they didn't like it they got more confident and explored much more, playing with each others tongue then let out a sigh in pleasure.

After minutes in heavenly heaven they couldn't breathe; it was like a heavy lid hovered over them and stopped the lungs from taking in the life-needing oxygen every living creature needed to survive.

They went away from each others arms, both wanting to take in as much air as they could in a short moment of time. Hot-flushed and with small smiles they met each other gaze, holding it there while they read each pair of eyes that clearly said one thing, hunger.

With a roughly beating heart they embraced once again and a powerful explosion of mixed feelings flew out from within them after being locked far too long for their own liking. An electricity of growing passion flew out with a force that made the two teenagers do something about it. Soon the connection with the kiss wasn't enough, Naruto took one of his hands up to her hair and began exploring the purple colored sea with a hand so gentle it made the both of them sigh in delight.

Naruto wasn't the only one that wanted to touch; Hinata found herself moving one of her hands up his well-formed and built chest till it settled on his cheek, massaging the warm skin with her fingertips.

Their breaths got heavier and soon were they breathing at the same pace, looking deeply into each other with a glint in their eyes.

Still weren't they satisfied with the touch, they hungered for more, so much more than they already had between their grasp.

Naruto took both of his hands down her nice back until it stopped right under her butt; he used his arms to push her very body up from the ground.

'Hinata likes it..,' he thought surprised when she wrapped her legs around his waist and took her arms lazily around his neck.

Naruto, while holding her that way spanned around some times, getting a scared squeak back. He snickered into her lips, and the thing he did back was to play with her tongue a lot more, so much more.

Hinata never thought in her entire life that this moment where going to happen, that she would touch her childhood crush's lips with her own.

It was like a new world, a brand new world she wanted to figure more about together with him, Naruto Uzumaki.

She smiled into his glorious lips, playing with his yellow jungle of hair with one hand while she had the other one around his neck to keep her from falling if he loosened the grip he had.

Naruto never believed she liked him. That quiet adorable Hinata Hyuuga had any interest in him. She did, right?

She did have an interest if she gladly kissed him like the goddess she is.

'How could this girl like me?' he questioned himself after another daze of pure passion, he never expected her to have this good experience with lip locking.

He wasn't as smart as Shikamaru or could never be compared to Sasuke's beauty if he believed what fan girls told him.

'So why did she like me so much?' he pondered but after feeling how well she suited in his arms and how she giggled happily into his mouth Naruto decided to let it go and enjoy their time together instead.

Around them the low sounds of footsteps were unheard by their moans and pleasurable sighs, only when a twig snapped to their left did they realize someone was coming to them.

As fast as lightning they jumped from each others embrace, and standing back to back they got into their usual fighting stands, both with quick breaths that had nothing to do with fighting.

Millions of thoughts and scenarios of who it was and what will happen next swum around their head when they heard the footsteps only come closer and closer to them.

They gulped when the steps stopped right outside the tent, right outside the very opening. Thanks to the flashlights that still were on after their _little _moment together, they could see some dark shadows that unfortunately were too blurry to see who it was, less being a boy or a girl.

Naruto and Hinata met each others eyes for a moment, holding it there while they saw what kind of state the other one was in.

Billions of thoughts swirled around their head when they let go, taking their attention to the danger outside.

Two of the questions they asked themselves were; who could the strangers be? Are them a threat to us?

* * *

**Cliffhanger**! Who do you think it is? What do you think of this chapter?

Phew, finally is this chapter out of my mind.. for now:P I will get my ass of writing chapter 5!

Thanks to wonderfull reviews and for putting this story into favorite story/alert list. Means a lot:)

You can look at my profile-page to find out how much I've come on this story..

Until next time, who knows when?, Bye~!


	5. Chapter 5

Hello, and I'm so sorry for the long wait! But luckily its done now.. hope you're not _extremely_ mad at me...

Thank you, thank you a billion times for reviewing, putting this story into your favorite/alert list, and for those who putted me into your favorite/alert author list!:) Your so kind!~ ^^

Hope you don't get too mad at my spellings, and if it is very much please tell me. I will gladly fix them.

**_Disclaimer:_** Kishimoto owns Naruto, _maxlax _owns the plot and I found the picture on animegalleries..

With no further said, lets hope you enjoy the reading!:)

* * *

In these last twenty-four hours a lot of things had happened to Hinata Hyuuga, so much she hadn't had a proper minute to realize it yet.

She had started the day sleeping in a cold cave with a blush on her cheeks; why you ask, she and Naruto had held hands in their sleep. She'd questioned why they were doing it but she didn't really mind, his hand was warm and soft against hers.

After taking an hour-long 'shower' in a waterfall nearby, she had seen him staring at her with a rather shocked expression. She couldn't really describe it; it was like he just had realized something, something he should have realized before and was now blaming himself for being stupid.

During their little breakfast he'd sent quick glances at her when he thought she weren't looking. She did though, and she felt uncomfortable and far more self-conscious than she used to be. Thanks to that, an awkward silence had come between them.

And it just got downhill from there. The rest of the surprisingly long day went away in silence. Not a single word got uttered; their mouths were sealed in hours and hours after that.

Naruto acted in a way so unlike himself. He did some weird things over and over, he never relaxed for long. Hinata got worried for him but he didn't tell her what was wrong, actually he didn't say a thing. It only made her more worried for his well-being.

They got to a place that was perfect to put up the tent. He vanished to get twigs, leaving her alone for a long time.

Luckily during the meal they both relaxed, happy with the company from the other one.

When he let her change in private at the time they were going to sleep he left without a word, when he got inside though he became silent as the grave, not even looking at her. He fell asleep shortly afterwards.

Hinata, that couldn't sleep no matter what kissed him on the cheek.

He had seen her do it, and after some rather shocked questions she confessed to him. She waited for a refusal since he didn't reply back. Instead he kissed her passionately on the lips and Hinata herself replied back in as much passion as he.

Time passed and they got more and more intimate with each other, their senses came weaker but they heard a twig snap right outside the tent signaling someone was coming.

A lot of things had happened to Hinata Hyuuga this long day, and now were she and Naruto both in a fighting stance breathing quickly and with their attention on the shadow outside.

The footsteps had stopped and the said shadow moved a hand forwards the opening of the tent in a dramatically slow pace.

'Why must this happen to me!' Naruto screamed inside his head. His pulse was beating like a racket; his chest rose and fell while his face had the same color as a strawberry. 'It's unfair!' he cried clenching his hands in rage, sending the unknown shadow a murderous glare. 'Oh, if looks could kill…'

He had been in heaven, kissed her big soft sexy lips up to eternity and back again. It was his first kiss… Okay not really, in accidents he'd kissed Sasuke twice but... it was the first kisses he enjoyed and wanted more of!

He couldn't believe it could be so good, that a simple connection between two lips could be so wonderful. He'd never imagined it being so entertaining… he had hungered for more when they broke apart.

Naruto took a quick glance towards Hinata's direction; saw her nice features for a second, taking note on her slight swollen lips. He smirked, knowing he did it to her. It was his kissing-skills that had made her lips like that. He felt proud of his success.

His attention tracked back to the shadow when he saw her tense up slightly.

The tent opening's fabric rustled. They could see the upper part of a fingertip. They silently took deep breaths, preparing themselves for the upcoming fight.

They almost got a heart attack when the opening was pushed aside, showing the real danger outside.

"Hello!"

"…"

"…"

"Hey, I said hello!"

"…"

"…"

"What the hell is wrong with you? Hello, anybody home?"

"It's you!"

"…Ki-Kiba!"

"No shit, Hinata."

For there, right in front if them stood Kiba Inuzuka with an annoyed expression. He had his hands crossed over his chest while he tip-tapped his foot to the ground.

Behind him they could see the silhouettes of Kurenai and Akamaru, looking at them with curious faces.

"What, no greetings?" He asked after some shocked silences. "No relieved sighs for that we came back alive?"

Still no response, he let out a sigh filled with irritation.

"Come on, you're hurting us!"

Kurenai took a step forward, "Kiba, they are in shock." It came out like a statement.

"But their still hurting..." he pouted, stepping inside the tent.

He walked towards the blond boy and took his hands on his shoulders.

"Pal, are you with me?"

"…"

"Hello, Naruto!" he began shaking him back and forth with some rough movements.

"… H-hey! Stop doing that, its making me seasick!"

"How in the widest world does it make you seasick?"

"I don't know, but it does."

Kiba shook his head. "Moron…"

"What are you calling me, punk?"

"I said moron."

"I'm not a moron, dog-smeller!"

"What did you call me, donkey?"

"A dog-smeller, "…silence… "… Hey!"

"Oh, you're going down..."

Kurenai, who didn't want them to kill or harm each other in any way, stepped inside and came between them.

"Stop", she commanded coldly. They shivered not daring to meet her eyes.

"Hinata, are you okay?" The boys turned the attention to the girl who had become 'conscious' while they verbally fought one another.

"…y-yeah…" she whispered.

"That's good." Her sensei smiled before she giggled. "Eh… Hinata, why is your mouth swelled up?"

"Wha-what!?"

"Yeah… and what happened to your clothes?" Kiba inquired nodding at her buttoned down night-shirt that showed her white bra perfectly to their view.

Hinata looked down and quickly made her proper again; with a blushing face she met Naruto. They smiled a bit while their blushes became redder.

The dog-lover noticed this exchange; he opened his mouth to question them but their sensei beat him.

"We have some information for you."

"What?" Naruto asked when he heard the seriousness in her tone.

"We lost track of the Akatsuki. We're heading back to Konoha."

"No, we can't!" was his immediate outburst.

"_Why not?_" Kiba asked annoyed, looking at him suspiciously.

"…It hasn't been a week yet!"

"We lost track of them, Naruto." Kurenai told him as he was a little child.

"You can't have lost it! You must check again."

"We did. We stayed at the place the smell vanished one more day, but we couldn't find it. It was gone."

"It can't be… you should try again. I bet Kiba didn't smell it right."

"Hey, we did!" Kiba shouted back while Akamaru barfed.

"You can't be, dog-"

"The track is gone anyway," Kurenai interrupted not wanting another fight, "by the storm last night. If it were even the tinniest faint of smell left it would be gone by now."

"But it hasn't been a week yet!" Naruto yelled again, he really wanted to win this 'fight'. He wanted more private-time with the shy and cute girl named Hinata. And nothing should stop him for having just that.

"I'm sorry Naruto…" she sighed tiredly "But it makes no sense if we stay any longer. And no, we can't call it a vacation. It's a lot of missions that needs to be done back home."

The blond boy shut his mouth defeated, angry that she read him like an open book. He sent a glance to the blue haired girl who looked as sad as he was over the news.

Hinata had been like her usual self, quiet. Even though she wanted to argue as much as Naruto did, she didn't. She was too shy, even after the hot and tempting kiss she did with Naruto just moments back.

She silently observed the confrontation, noticing how Naruto either wanted to argue with Kurenai or punch Kiba right in the face.

When the verbal fight had ended, and team Kurenai 'won' she met Naruto's eyes for a split second. Saw anger and annoyance in his heavenly blue, she knew he read her as well and that she showed the same thing, only just not that much.

"Okay… let's go to sleep. It's a long way back home. We'll need all the energy we have, so don't stay up all night doing _other _things." She sent a knowing look to Hinata and Naruto's direction who blushed back.

Kiba, being very suspicious to this exchange as well frowned while he sent an annoyed glare at Naruto.

"What is going on between you two?"

"…" Hinata started to poke her fingers, not daring to reply.

The dog-lover suspicious grew.

"Heh-heh, nothing…" Naruto scratched his head, a faint pink colored his cheeks.

A sigh oozed out of Kurenai's lips.

"Kiba, you will figure out soon enough…Now everyone, go to bed."

The dog boy growled, not happy of what she said. He grumbled a low, "Come Akamaru, they will not tell us a thing. Sometimes I wonder if Kurenai-sensei is a bit-"

"Kiba, watch your mouth. Remember who you're going to sleep in the same tent with."

"I-I didn't say a thing…" he flew out with an as much terrified Akamaru close behind.

Kurenai shook her head to the escaping couple, when they were gone from her very sight she turned her attention to the blond boy and blue-haired girl, smiling tiredly.

"…As I said before. Go to sleep. Don't do other things, just sleep. You will have a lot of free-time back home."

She laughed when she saw their blush; she sent them yet a knowing look before she walked out of the tent.

"… That was interesting…"

"Y-yeah…"

A minute went by, then two.

"Maybe we should do what she says…"

"Y-yeah…"

Naruto heard she sounded sad, he was to. But even though he wanted to experience lot more with this certain girl about things he hadn't really done before, another awkward intercourse with either Kiba or Kurenai-sensei in the middle of true passion scared him away.

He enjoyed life but with a soon to-be murderous dog-sniffer tracking his trail when he finds out about what he and Hinata did didn't sound very pleasant at the moment.

He didn't think Hinata herself would enjoy the knowing looks or intention-hidden sentences from her teacher if she hears moans or groans from them even though she clearly said 'go to sleep, nothing else' before she left them for the night.

"I think sleeping is for the best. You heard what she said; she is going to be rough to us tomorrow with almost no breaks. I think we need as much sleep as we can then."

He needed sleep to gain energy he sure as hell had to use running for his life when Kiba figures out they had kissed. He really enjoyed life sometimes…

"Y-yeah, I t-think so too," Hinata mumbled, probably thinking the same. She crouched down and got inside her sleeping bag. The blond boy was close behind.

Silently as if shyly taking a hold of Hinata's hand, Naruto turned out the flash-light. He closed his eyes and inhaled fresh air, wanting the sleep to come.

He heard fabric moving, he guessed Hinata got herself into a more comfortable position. Silence, but none of them managed to sleep.

"Hinata…"

"Y-yes?"

"Did we…" A pause, "did we truly kiss?" He knew he sounded ridiculous but he really had to ask. After everything that had happened lately he hadn't been able to process it.

"I t-think so…"

He took a deep breath, "Are you my girlfriend now?"

She blushed. "I g-guess..."

He smiled relieved. "That's good."

"Yeah..." She smiled back.

They went to bed.

**.:.:.:.**

"I can't believe it!"

Naruto groaned and opened his eyes. He met pale lavender.

They were wide, frightened.

"I seriously can't believe it!"

Naruto turned his head towards the person who yelled and not surprised he met the face of a furious Inuzuka.

"I seriously cannot believe it!"

Groan. "Kiba, I didn't know you were a closet-pervert."

The dog owner stopped his furious rambling that didn't have a hint of ending and looked at him, puzzled. "…What?"

"A closet-pervert... I didn't know you were a closet-pervert."

"Huh?" he was if possible even more confused.

"A closet-pervert… Like Kakashi-sensei."

"Why are you…?"

"Because you stared at us, in our sleep, only perverts does that." He stated matter of factually.

"First of all, I'm not a pervert. Second of all, how could you?"

"Could wh-"¨

"Kiss Hinata, you stupid idiot! How could you kiss her? What has she done to you?"

Naruto paused before he asked with a faint blush. "How did you know?"

"You held hands, in your sleep for Kami's sake! Who wouldn't find out?"

"Normal people…"the blonde muttered.

Kiba sent him a glare. Hinata took a hand over her mouth for stopping the low laugh that slipped out.

Kurenai stepped inside the tent. "What a lovely start for the day, you two fighting like kids. Must I remind you how old you are?"

"No, sensei…" they said in unison, sighing.

"That's good... Kiba, let Hinata and Naruto change in peace. Or I would start wondering if you are what Naruto says you are."

"Humph!" he stomped out of the tent, not before sending a look of warning to the blond boy of course.

"And you two!" she declared as they were alone, "you didn't do things I said you shouldn't do…I'm surprised."

"Why? We didn't do anything," Naruto frowned seemingly not knowing why she sounded so upset.

"Exactly, young love should break the law not do what grownups say. Naruto, _you_ should know that!"

The boy sent the sensei a look full of confusion, wondering what she ate this morning. Questioning Hinata with a short glance she shrugged back having a faint tint of pink on her cheeks.

"Well, we can't do anything about it now," Kurenai sighed shaking her head, "so why dwell on the past? Get proper and dressed, we're going in half an hour. But until next time, be teenagers!"

She vanished out leaving two sleepy, puzzled persons behind questioning what just happened.

**.:.:.:.:.**

They were ready to go half an hour later, as the teacher scarily predicted. Naruto and Hinata weren't fully awake yet but moved with the others with no complaints, wanting to get home as much as the other ones wanted.

They were a silent team, no words got exchanged and their pace didn't budge of the tension oozing out of the two young men.

With their glares they held a silent conversation, showing how much they disliked one another.

Kiba had found his duty to prevent anything for happening with his precious teammate and this dork. Said dork couldn't be closer than half a meter from the girl, if he so did Kiba would 'accidently' come between them and push (quite roughly) the blonde man away.

Naruto on the other hand wanted to show Kiba they were a couple and took every moment able to come as near her as possible. The fact that this dog-smelling maniac pushed him away whenever he could irritated him some, he didn't even say sorry after the impact and the force he had in his hands was strong.

Hinata looked at their 'little' confrontations with a frown. _What are they doing? They haven't acted like this before so why do they do it now?_

When she had looked at their sensei she held a small grin placed on her lips, giggling slightly to herself. It just made her curiosity grow wider.

A warm comforting presence got known behind her and she didn't need to look behind to check who it was. She knew the answer far too well, her dare Naruto-kun that she now had the pleasure to call boyfriend.

The realization didn't get a grip on her yet, that the boy she had dreamed for all her life was hers. That he enjoyed her company and would overhear her many stutters. That he looked through her low-confidence and found something he liked deep inside her shy personality.

She didn't need time figuring out she loved him; she had known it quite some time. And even though it had looked dark a couple of times her love for him had survived through it all.

Naruto saw an opening, and strike! He was behind her, watching how her dark-purple hair swayed in the wind, how it tangled together and moved along the wind in an unheard rhythm none in the team could hear.

And then it was the hard part. He jumped up till he stood beside her, as close as he could be without touching. Shoulder only millimeters from hers. He watched her body freeze before relaxing, checking him slightly with a short glance filled of questions.

He swallowed and moved his hand closer to hers, but a shadow suddenly jumped in front of them like a rock, blocking the way as his fingers brushed her palm. The huge mass had yet again destroyed his chance to be near her, his girlfriend.

His eyes twitched as he got out from the bush he collided on by the force of the impact, and Kiba playing like nothing happened moved away from the now shocked and openly horrified girl.

But Naruto didn't say a word; he just bit his tongue while he silently cursed the dog-boy, coming back into the team looking after another perfect timing to strike.

He got one, and was yet again brushing her fingers as the massive piece of pure stone pushed him away. His eyes twitched but unlike last time and dozen of times before that he opened his mouth.

"Kiba, what the hell are you doing?" he snarled while pointing an accused glare towards him, getting away from the tree-trunk he now had the unluckiness to smash into.

"Nothing..." he looked quite innocent but he didn't trick the blonde.

"_Nothing_? You push me away every time I'm near her!"

"I do not."

"You do!"

"Not."

"You do, stop lying."

"Do you have any proofs?" Kiba taunted.

"I don't need proof, you dog-smelling dog shit. I know you push me away every time I'm near her."

"'_Dog-smelling dog shi__t'_! I will make you pay, fox-ass."

The teens jumped on each other, both thinking ways to scratch the other one's eye balls out.

Kurenai sighed, and after moments looking at the fight she cut in. "Boys. What did I say to you?"

They swallowed and tried to save themselves, getting a few meters away from each other trying to look presentable. "Um… that we could fight but not so much that the other one get critically hurt?"

"That we should love each other for who we are?"

Kiba wasn't the only one sending him a questioning look.

"What? I once read it on a pack of ramen."

"Oh, why am I not surprised?" the brunette groaned while giving himself a face-palm.

Kurenai coughed, "none of your suggestions was right. I told you not to fight like kids, it's only been a few hours but you sure have to act like five-year olds. Please act all you want at _home_, but not on a mission. Is that clear?"

The boys imagined thunder by how dangerously she said it; Naruto began questioning if Asuma was threatened into their current relationship.

Kurenai let out a long-holding breath and smiled apologetic towards them. "Sorry…" she scratched her head, "let's get going."

And her three, kind-of four comrades came with, though hesitatingly.

**:::.:.:.:::**

Hours came and passed, quickly for the most of the silent team. It had started to dawn when Kurenai stopped.

"You have all worked well. It hasn't been_ too _many complications between people, "a look towards the boys," and if they were it got fixed fast. You've all reasons to be proud."

She nodded, seemingly satisfied to their work.

"Let's stop here. We have moved through many miles, if we have the same speed tomorrow then you shouldn't be surprised if we see the top of Konoha early next day. Now, get together and start a fire, I'm looking forward to Hinata's cooking skills."

"So am I…" a blond boy mumbled seemingly to himself and it took all Kiba's will not to punch him, how did he dare to think of something like that?

It was one thing being her boyfriend, but no way in fucking hell he was going to let him say things like that! Hinata was his teammate; there was absolutely no way a cute girl like her is going to date a moron like him.

Oh, he really looked forward to be back in Konoha…

**...**

Hinata blushed by Naruto's comment, a tingling sensation flew up and down her back. She had to control her legs otherwise she would fall, they were like jelly.

"Naruto, Kiba and Akamaru, please get sticks we can use for the fire. And if I hear a yell, cry or bloodshed I'm not going to be happy."

The boys nodded, and with Akamaru safely between them they jumped through the trees.

All alone, free from their sensei's stern look and wide earshot, Kiba roughly pushed Naruto against a tree, a clenched hand only centimeters from the said boy's nose.

"If you even think of saying something like that ever again, I'm going to kill you."

Naruto, not liking getting death threats spat angrily.

"I'm her _boyfriend_."

"Either way, you are not going to be near her."

"Says who?"

"Says me, her fucking teammate..."

"When did you have the rights to decide whether or not I'm going to date her?" Naruto inquired, seriously pissed of.

"At the same time you began dating her. Geese, you really are blond. Are you sure it is some cells left up there?"

They sent death glares to each other, and would probably have begun fighting if it weren't for the Inuzuka's high sensitivity. "Fuck, she can still hear us. Let's go!"

He not so gently took the boy by his orange collar and dragged him away, further down the woods.

**-:.:.:-**

Kurenai shook her head, listening to their retreats. She turned her attention back to Hinata, who was busy finding food and things to cook upon but looked up when she felt her gaze.

"A-are you okay, Kurenai-sensei?"

She smiled back at her and nodded, "yes, I just heard Kiba and Naruto have an interesting conversation with each other."

She met some surprised eyes, and still with the same smile on her face she said, "It's a ninja skill, having sensitive ears and all. High ranked mission has the cause of it; you will get it as well, you just need some more training."

Hinata went quiet, lost in thoughts or scared by this new information; Kurenai had a long time guessing.

The heiress found some eatable food, and after a moment looking frying pan and casseroles to. She prepared them and then sat down waiting patiently for the boys that yet hadn't showed up.

They sat in silence, as quiet people possible could be, not surprised by their lack of presence.

Even though the girl was worried she had something with them missing; maybe Kiba beat Naruto up and by the cause of it they got kidnapped by evil people?

"Hinata, take a deep breath. " Kurenai said seeing her anxious look, "It's nothing to worry about. If something is up I know their capable to take care of them selves. I bet Kiba just had a pleasant discussion with Naruto and now they're looking for every twig they can find, surprised how long time had passed. Just wait, they will be here soon."

If Hinata was scared before, she sure as hell was horrified by this new information now. How could she guess something so innocently like that?

"Hey, sorry we're late. We just talked and forgot the time…" Kiba said awkwardly, coming in view by a huge bush, carrying loads of twigs in his arms.

Scratch that, Hinata was now terrified by her teacher, who had a scarily knowing glee on her face.

"Yeah, we're very sorry for being late; we just had a un-agreement of some sort." Naruto said coming in view as well with the same amount of twigs in his arms.

He and Kiba looked at each other and Hinata knew they still hadn't sorted it out.

"The excuse is fine, but we don't need so many twigs. We're making one fire, not ten!"

The boys blushed, "sorry, we stressed!"

She just shook her head and Hinata had to smile a bit, they were for once agreeing in something.

"Well then, let Hinata get the twigs, she's the one making the food after all."

The boys did what they were told, limping masses of sticks right by her side, making her jump by the suddenness. She took some of them, making a small tower inside the ring of stones she had made to protect the fire so that it wouldn't reach the grass on either side, done she made fire by a lighter Kurenai handed her.

She soundlessly began making dinner.

Not shortly after this lovely aroma filled the silence, they sighed delighted, pleased by this new smell. Akamaru barked and a roaring sound came from the boys' stomachs. Kurenai smiled and Hinata blushed by their looks on her, Naruto's particularly. She just couldn't figure out if it was meant for the food or her.

**…**

His back ached, it ached as hell but one look at Hinata and it vanished so quick he hardly sensed it. She looked like an angel. One of those beautiful forest angels you saw in books and paintings, those where hair lay sexily around their faces, finding and shaping their hidden beauty in some way you began questioning why you hadn't seen it before.

She looked like that, with the messy hair of hers all around her and with a dirt stain on her cheek. Naruto decided she suited wearing that, because it made her more real and wild, especially with the blush that grew, as red as strawberry, on her face and how she occasionally would send a look to his direction.

He smiled, he didn't doubt he had something to do with the blush; he looked around to see if anyone else had seen her glances on him, he met someone's angry face, Kiba's.

He could sense the aching back again, remembering how he had gotten it. After Kiba had dragged him by the collar away claiming Kurenai still could hear them, he had pushed Naruto to every single tree trunk they saw while he threatened him with the colorful language of his how he was going to kill him if he ever dared to lay a finger or do something couple-like with Hinata ever again.

His eyes shone of madness and Naruto realized Kiba was crazy, he knew he had to protect her from him as much as possible.

Kiba had pushed him quite roughly towards these tree trunks and because of that he felt like an old man if he ever so slightly moved a little, it took all his will not to cry out. He knew now how it felt being old, he decided he didn't like the upcoming future anymore.

His nose sniffed suddenly, having sensed a nice change in the air. He smelled perfectly made food. He sighed and wetted his lips, closing his eyes when he heard how the fork Hinata had in her hand moved on the frying pan's surface. He practically let out a pleased cry when a hot flushed girl stuttered, "the f-food is done."

He opened his eyes, met her pale ones. He grinned at her, getting a squeak back.

Kurenai laughed while Kiba ignored them, taking one of the plates that lay ready for them and stepped in front of her, blocking a certain blonde's view.

Behind him said boy fumed angrily staring dangerous daggers at his back, but he didn't notice getting the plate filled up.

**.:::.:.:::.**

The meal ended somewhat calm, or to put it differently no blood got shed or spilled by anyone. Kiba and Naruto acted _nicely_ towards each other, something quite unbelievable since they only hours earlier had made it clear they hated, wished to kill and pee in the other ones grave.

Even though, Kurenai wasn't surprised they acted so calm in the other ones company, she knew they were scared at her, horrified of her and her unpredictable reactions. But she didn't care, not at all.

She had this feeling students used to be scared of their teachers, or respect them… or both. She didn't really see the difference, or care for that matter. One of the few things she cared for in missions was that her comrades didn't hate each other.., want to kill each other so badly.

She looked at them, one after one, watching intensely for any signs of plans they thought of that may have something to do with the other male.

"Is everyone done?"

They nodded in response.

"Good. Here's some information for the night and following day. Take up two tents, don't argue when I say who you are going to sleep with, go to sleep and not mess around. Okay so far?" The boys nodded solemnly, Hinata looked at her curious for her next words. "Good. Tomorrow we will leave early, maybe earlier than today. We will have the same speed we had today so please don't try to kill each other on the way okay?"

The boys looked at her, and sighed somewhat defeated.

She shook her head. "Okay, now when that's clear. Let's get the tents up."

And so they did, packing together used plates and cups and thereafter fishing up the two camouflages colored tents.

Kurenai nodded, pleased by their good work. "That went fast, didn't it? Since I haven't heard any complaints by you yet we will sleep as we did yesterday-"

"What! Hell no, you can't let Hinata sleep with Naruto. Are you insane?"

A glare got sent in his direction. "I'm not, Kiba. I know fully well what I'm doing. As I said before you _rudely_ interrupted me; since no one complains-"

"I'm complaining, I'm complaining! They can't sleep together, not in hell."

Sigh. "Kiba, its no use for argue. I'm standing where I stand, Naruto and Hinata will sleep in one tent, and me, you and Akamaru in the other one."

Kiba opened his mouth.

"Not a thing you say will make me change decision," she cut in, "so it's no point trying. Oh, I forgot to ask you two if it's okay. Are you fine with it?"

Naruto who had been oddly silent to the whole thing nodded eagerly. Hinata blushed for an answer.

"That's good. A long day is headed in front of us so please take my kindly advice; Get your asses to sleep."

With nothing else to say she vanished into a tent, leaving three emotional teenagers behind.

"You won this round Naruto, but no way in hell your going to win the next one."

The said boy didn't answer, just looked at him with the blue eyes of his.

Silence drifted in.

"Hinata is my teammate; if you dare touch her you're dead."

Naruto took a step closer to said girl, quiet challenging him; her eyes flickered between the two boys while her cheeks got redder and redder. She didn't like where this were going.

Kiba's eyes minimized by his move, "You just heard me, Naruto."

Another step closer to her, "Do you fucking listen to me?"

When the next leg moved Naruto finally opened his mouth, just to be interrupted by their sensei. "Didn't I tell you to go to sleep?"

Three pair of eyes looked at hers, showing how surprised they got by her sudden appearance.

Kurenai sighed. "Please go to sleep."

They didn't hesitate; they flew as quickly as the wind to their tents, no looking backs to see how she looked at them.

Hinata and Naruto watched each other, seeing if anyone were going to say a thing to end the silence that crept around them. No one dared, but with one single glance they could see the other one wished to do what Kurenai just said. They both didn't want to see her wrath ever again.

With just a single nod the couple went to sleep.

**:::…:…:::**

The sun shone, lightened up the dark mood around them ever so slightly.

They flew through tree after tree, not really bothering where they went. They didn't look around, they didn't see how the leaves and grass swayed by the cold, weak wind ruffling their hair. They didn't bother to see, they let their teacher take care of that.

Hinata wasn't actually in a fuel mood, she loved how the area looked, loved to see how animals lived their lives as if it didn't be interrupted by their movements. She enjoyed it shortly speaking.

But sadly, the boys thought differently about it, they didn't care about the world around them, they did only care about their own world. Their own world of pure hate they shared with each other.

At that moment Naruto stepped outside the tent this early morning a stick had flown towards him, hitting him straight in the head, an innocently Kiba said he dropped it. Naruto did not believe him.

And things had gotten downhill from there.

More 'accidents' passed, sand or twigs flying towards them so unlikely no one doubted they did it. Their hate grew wider, glare burning as red as Kurenai's eyes. No person in their sane minds would come between them. They could have been born enemies.

The teacher tried, really tried letting them get along but her attempts was in vain. And Hinata, knowing she was the cause of this fight, could just set back and watch having nothing to do breaking them apart. She felt in other words completely useless.

As Naruto did yesterday he did now, trying to come as close as possible to her and as Kiba did he pushed him away. Their relationship didn't get helped by this, and their eyes came smaller and smaller with every connection.

With just a single glance Hinata could see how Kiba fumed of rage every time he stopped Naruto from touching her, and with the same glance she could see the blond boy get angrier and angrier. He bit his teeth's together not to utter out how much he hated the dog owner, his hair was in the same state of mess as usual and his eyes, even though being very dark only a second ago, had its normal blue tint of heaven when their eyes locked together.

Their moment was as sweet as sugar, their mouth twisted upwards and they knew they wanted to be closer to each other. The boy and girl smiled, the world could for their sake disappear by their sight.

Beside them Kiba got a coughing fit, getting her fully attention.

"A-are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just swallowed a bug."

A pause, Naruto looked around as if looking for something. "HEY, that's reminds me of something. Where's Shino?"

Kiba exploded, "What the hell! Did you just first notice now that Shino isn't with us? Are you completely blonde or something?"

In his furious ramble Hinata told Naruto blushing slightly.

"He was in an m-mission with his clan w-when we got ours, N-Naruto-kun. That's why h-he isn't with us now."

"Oh, that explains something." He said and scratched his head. Kiba sent him a look. "You're denser than Chouji when he eats. Hinata, what the hell do you see in him?"

The girl blushed and Kiba quickly corrected himself, "On the other hand, I don't wanna know…"

An awkward silence went by. Kurenai smiled but said nothing.

So the rest of the day went. In silence, in pure weird silence that nobody changed. They were in a high-speed, but nothing they couldn't handle, being skilled shinobi and all. When they stopped for the night their sensei was pleased.

"Great job everyone; we will see Konoha early tomorrow. A sensei wouldn't be happier with you! Even though our mission failed, the information we have gotten is a one of a kind. Hokage-sama will be glad."

They smiled at each other, no sign of hate written in their eyes Hinata noticed relieved. Maybe this night would be peaceful?

Kurenai didn't need to order them, the boys began setting up the tents and Hinata fished up things to use to cooking and some twigs they had saved for a later use.

The meal got appreciated together, a happy feeling of a good time got shared, Kiba and Naruto didn't argue as much as they did. They seemed to have a silent agreement of some sort, the teacher realized a bit surprised, Kiba let Naruto sit next to her and if he didn't cross an invisible line he could be close to her to, but if he did cross it he would cough, glare, say or do anything to get his attention and Naruto would, if not sad, shift his body a bit away from her.

Kiba also had to do something; he had to keep his mouth firmly shut if he saw a flirt of some sort between them, not to destroy the moment.

Neither of the boys was happy by the rules and used every opportunity to step the invisible line if only for a little while, but even though they surprisingly did not destroy the peacefulness. Not even once, Kurenai was happy.

"Delicious food Hinata, as always… Now get to sleep."

Nodding they did what she said.

Inside the tent Naruto and Hinata stared at each other, the boy shyly took her hand and smiled the faintest smile.

"It will be cool coming home, don't you think?"

His voice was low and when Hinata opened her mouth for a reply it came out like a whisper. "Y-yeah, but I'm a bit n-nervous."

"Why?"

"Of h-how Neji-niisan would r-react to the news. He can be a bit o-overprotective of me…"

"Oh…" he thought for a while before he said reassuringly, "Well, since Kiba came over it I bet he would to, it will probably take some time though."

An awkward pause, then he coughed, "but nothing he say or do before that happens will make me let you go. I'm going to fight, I like you so much its hard not to fight. So don't worry about it, I will be there for you when the times comes."

Her cheeks got rosy; she had to take a deep breath not to faint. He was so nice!

"T-thank you." He smiled back. They looked at each other, smiling stupidly of pure happiness. Then realizing how they apparently looked blushingly turned attention.

**O—next day—O**

Five huge faces made them let out small cries in relief. The Hokage-monument looked as powerful as the people craved into it probably was and am. Their eyes watched the citizen like a hawk and the expressions on them could scare even the filthiest thief away.

It was shortly speaking heaven for their eyes.

The mission hadn't been much long or dangerous since they just were going to follow the Akatsuki in an attempt to find the organization's hideouts but even though the sight of their home village made butterflies wildly fly inside them.

Familiar smells of town filled their noses when they went through the gates, getting greeted by Izumo and Kotetsu who stood as normally guards.

Kurenai went and began a little chat with them, the three teenagers waited for her shifting kind of uncomfortable while the boys sent daggers and the girl switched view to look.

_Clearly they haven't been friends yet…_

She thought a little depressed. _I hope they will soon…_

Kurenai, done talking turned her attention to them and said, "Let's leave and give Tsunade-sama the report. She starts with the first sake in two hours, I want as far away from her as possible until that time. Is that clear?"

Every one of them nodded in understanding, they left Izumo and Kotetsu who could only watched them in awe.

"I want to go on a mission soon."

Izumo looked at him, shook his head of the pout on Kotetsu's face and turned his attention back to his job. He silently agreed…

**:…:…:…:…:…:**

"So they just disappeared you say, and then suddenly a rain made it impossible to find the trace again?" Tsunade got an affirmed nod back. "Very well, it's possible they knew they were getting tracked by you and decided to play with you for a while. I will send Anbu to look for a hideout near the disappearance, but I personally doubt we will find anything. The mission was difficult and I didn't think you would succeed in it, you didn't either. The information was useful, you are dismissed. "

They bowed and walked out of the door.

Outside the whole building Kurenai talked with the team for the last time. "You were great; some trouble between you in the beginning but luckily it somehow disappeared and you managed to work together as a team. I'm quite glad. Let's get home and relax until a new mission is acquired by you. Sadly I bet it would be soon so take your time and enjoy it. Maybe we will meet each other then? Bye."

They waved at the retreating sensei, at the moment she turned the corner Kiba sneered at the blonde. "Don't enjoy your time with Hinata, you hear me?" He stepped closer to him, "I'm watching you."

He went away, nodding goodbye to Hinata sending daggers, knives and poison filled glares at her boyfriend who stuck out a tongue in return.

Then the boy and girl were alone. They smiled minimal smiles at each other, twitching their fingers unsure if they dared to take the other ones hand.

"So… are you going to do something special tomorrow, or in any other following day?"

Hinata shook her head, "I-I don't think so. I guess I'm g-going to relax f-for bits then begin practicing… what a-are you going to do?"

"Dunno, maybe go to Ichiraku's. I wondered if you wanted to..." his eyes flickered from her and to the ground,

"… wanted to hang out with me tomorrow?" he didn't like the wavering desperation in his voice.

"L-like a date?" she questioned, biting her lip in hope.

"Yes! I thought since we're together we could… do something couple like, or not. You decide!" he quickly added, his fully attention to the dirt under them body twitching in nervousness.

"I-I'd liked to." She said giving him a soft smile.

He looked up and breathed a relieved sigh, his body relaxing bit by bit. "So... tomorrow at 6 o'clock?"

She nodded back. They talked a bit more, said pleasant goodbyes to each other and parted ways.

**…**

Strong, shining sun woke our favorite knucklehead up the next day, feeling a warm bed sheet over him and a pillow under his head. He blinked, realizing he was home and made a noise of celebration. He went up, took a wonderful shower and got inside a new pair of clothes, he made breakfast, ate it and was done with the morning rituals. Then he walked out of his apartment.

He stopped and watched the growing sun, shaking his head in wonder. 'Why did I wake up so early?'

Dwelling on this question he hardly sensed two shadows coming over him, not until someone hit him in the head. He blacked out.

A groan let the kidnappers know the victim was waking up. They watched him silently for a minute but sadly one of them couldn't seal his mouth shut any longer.

"You are one of the worst ninja's I've ever known. Who the hell doesn't notice someone sneaking up to you? I'm embarrassed for even knowing you!"

"Kiba, shut up. It isn't the reason why we have him here. We have him here to have a little _friendly_ chat with him."

Naruto blinked and when his eyes could see clearly he saw seven boys staring at him; curious, bored, happy, unreadable, something that he assumed was a smile and two pair of fuming anger who overdid them all.

"Neji, Kiba?" he cracked out in question, "Shikamaru, Chouji, Shino, Sai and Lee. What are you guys doing here?"

He tried to get up but he soon realized his arms were tied tightly behind a chair, looking around he saw he was on a rooftop at the top of one of the tallest houses in Konoha. He sat tied to a wooden chair on a roof with seven boys surrounding him…

"What the hell are you guys doing? Kidnapping me?"

Kiba rolled his eyes, "Well, du-uh."

"We wanted to talk to you." Neji said face as usual completely blank, "About something very important."

"What?"

"Are you dating my cousin?" he thundered, annoyed of Naruto's clueless face.

"Eh… last time I checked, yes."

"We don't like it." Kiba growled.

"Well, actually I think it is a youth-"

"Shut it, Lee." They said in unison, not sparing him a single glance. They held their attention firmly on Naruto.

"Stay away from my cousin; I don't want you in the family."

"Hey, I have feelings!" the blond boy said, offended.

"Do you think I care?" he sneered back.

**…**

Hinata went through the streets, noticing if any shops had sale or other things to gain her attention away from the crowd.

_No one yet… and I who really needs clothes for tonight!_

A blush craved her cheeks when she remembered the day before. How embarrassing and nice it was for the both of them to agree on a date and decided when and where it was supposed to be.

She tried to imagine how the date would be.

_Maybe he is going to kiss me again?_

The mere thought made tingles flutter inside her heart and she blushingly wanted to change direction of thoughts.

"Hey, Hinata... Wait up!" She turned around and met the eyes of a bun bun-styled haired friend running towards her.

"Oh Tenten, h-hello," she shyly greeted.

"Hello, where are you going?"

"I'm looking f-for new clothes-"

"Good you're not busy, come on." Tenten grabbed her hand and hurriedly leaded her into the complete other direction, Hinata watched with opened eyes when she realized they turned the corner to Yamanaka's Flowers.

With no signs of hesitation the older teen showed Hinata inside.

Three girls waited at her, two sitting on the counter and one standing relaxed towards a wall hands crossed over her chest.

It was Sakura, Ino and Temari. The heiress couldn't see any costumer.

"Hinata, how did the mission go?" Ino, one of the two sitting on the counter asked.

"It went w-well…"she got unsure when she saw the growing smile of glee on their faces.

"Well, you say? I heard it went absolutely fantastic."

"By who?" Hinata wondered frowning.

"By Kiba," Sakura said," even though he used every word except from 'fantastic'. He told us you and Naruto are dating, is that true?"

Hinata dumbfounded nodded.

Ino and Sakura cried out in joy, bumping their fists together while they congratulated her by the relationship.

Near the wall opposite them Temari rolled her eyes, "come on…are you done yet? I know I shouldn't expect more from you two but take a good hold on yourself; this isn't the reason why I agreed to wait another day before I travel home after accomplished the mission."

She looked at them sternly in the eye getting as hoped their silence. "It's quite unbelievable that the idiot managed to get himself a girlfriend, especially one as different from him, but reacting as sugar high fan girls in drugs isn't what way I would like you two to react on. Just saying…"

Sakura and Ino pouted, Tenten snickered.

**-:-.-:-**

"Naruto, I don't like you."

"The pleasure is on my side."

They stared each other deeply into the eyes. Hate, annoyance and wrath literally glowed out of them. Around them the boys not really interested in the fight twitched slightly bored or what else of this idiotic battle between a far too overprotective cousin, a teammate with far too much testosterone and a scarily liking for dogs and one of the blondest guy on earth.

"How long will the fight be, Shikamaru? I have only a half bag of chips left and the shop closes in four hours."

Said boy looked up from the cloud-gazing to his long time good friend's frenetic look, he simply shrugged.

"Who knows? Knowing the three of them well none of them gives up easily, though this is one of the silliest fights ever."

"No, I don't think so. " Lee said, coming into the conversation, "I think this is a youthful way to bring an honorable fight on. I have to admit though two against one is an unfair match. Hey Naruto, do you want help from the youthful me?"

"No thank you…" Naruto said not sending him a glance, "but if you tie my hands free from the chair I will be ever grateful and happily hand you Sakura."

Lee's eyes became shiny and in no long time freshly made tears poured down his face, his mouth opened and closed time after time but he wasn't capable to say anything back then "thank you, thank you. Thank you my youthful friend..." over and over again.

When Lee kept crying and thanking him for being so 'youthful' it didn't take long before Kiba, Naruto and Nejii snapped.

"Can you stop wailing already?" they shouted, still not giving him any attention.

His lips trembled but he swallowed and nodded. The other boys sighed in relief and focused on the boring match ahead.

"So… when do you think it's over?"

Shikamaru yet again shrugged, he couldn't predict it no matter how smart he was.

Damn, what a troublesome drag...

**…**

"Have you kissed?"

Hinata blushed and after moments nodded weakly.

"What! You have?" they screamed in unison, both of them filled of joy. "Tell us; is he good kisser or awfully bad? Tell us!"

She bit her lips while nodding slightly, clearly embarrassed.

"Do you mean he is good? How good, tell us!"

Temari rolled her eyes, Hinata flickered and twitched where she stood while Tenten looked at them face unreadable.

"He's quite … good..." it came out as a whisper.

The girls questioning jumped up and down, clapping their hands and yet again congratulated her for the relationship.

"Naruto being good… it's so unbelievable it could be the truth…" Sakura shook her head either way.

"Hey, are you going on a date or something soon?"

Four girls looked surprised up at the one asking.

Temari scoffed, "what? Even though I'm not a girly type I like to hear gossip." Silence…," So…are you?"

Now their eyes were on Hinata who began fumbling her fingers towards her wide jacket.

"W-well… we are going on a date t-tonight."

"You are?" it wasn't just Sakura and Ino who got affected by the information, Tenten's eyes sparkled and something that looked like interest glimmered Temari's usually tough face.

"Y-yeah, I was looking for clothe-"

"Oh my, you got to have nice clothes."

"Why didn't you say it in the first place, let's go!"

Ino and Sakura gripped each of her arms and flew out of the shop, the two other girls walking casually behind.

-:-:-

Two against one was an unfair match; they had to agree on that. But this time they felt they had the rights to, they were arguing about Naruto dating Hinata after all. Kiba and Neji new they were going to win this staring-contest so why didn't this air-headed idiot give up?

Shikamaru looked up when he heard steps coming towards him; it was Chouji with a new bag of chips. He had left and bought chips three times now.

"Still no signs of defeat?"

He shook his head and looked up at the cloud-less sky.

"No, and it don't look like it will be any time soon."

"How long have them been doing it?"

He shrugged, "one and a half hour maybe…"

Chouji groaned and began eating from his bag; this could take some time but he sadly just had enough money to afford for another bag of chips!

He heard some scratching noises to his left, he saw Sai switching from glancing at the three angry boys and the white sheet of paper he draw on.

"Why are you drawing them?"

The painter didn't look up when he answered, "They have no balls, I find it funny."

The statement made the three boys growl in fury, sending threats towards him still no change in direction of their eyes.

"What are we going to do with this youthful fight? I have to go practicing with Gai-sensei soon."

Shikamaru hadn't the slightest thing to answer Lee, "Shino, do you have any ideas?"

"We have to vote." The hooded man said, standing as still as a mountain his facial expression hidden by his black sunglasses and big jacket. "Why? Because it's the only good option for a case like this, a staring-match works only when it is two people involved."

Some agreeable noises got heard by the boys and Neji, Kiba and Naruto had to stop the staring in defeat.

"Okay, everyone is listening. " Shikamaru said, becoming the 'leader' of this case, "For those who still haven't gotten it this problem is about the fact that Hinata and Naruto is together, their dating. Everyone please say what you think about it."

**…**

"Oh Hinata, grey is so your color!" A blue eyed blond girl squeaked, holding a short-sleeved grey dress in front of her.

"Are you blind, Ino-pig? Green is a much better option. Hinata, wear this!"

Sakura happily cried, pushing away the dress Ino was holding and showing the uncertain heiress a sea-colored long dress with blondes.

"What, that old rag? It looks like something my cat has played with."

They were inside one of the biggest shops in Konoha; everywhere around them were dresses and beautiful accessories in different colors and shapes. Other costumers moved away from them, not happy by the loud mouths of theirs.

"Ino and Sakura, shut the hell up. If not we'll be kicked out." Tenten told them, getting huffs back. "Besides you only show her dresses you like and want to wear yourself. If she wears that grey dress she would look like an old hag. But if she wears the green one she would look like a monster. None of the colors suits her, idiots!"

The called 'idiots' quickly began to argue and Temari robbed her temples annoyed of the high noises. She took a deep calming breath, and then said "I think Hinata would suit something blue or anything else dark-colored. Wouldn't she look cute wearing this?"

She held up a dress that made every girl, even Hinata, let out pleased agreeable sighs.

"Hinata," Sakura smiled, "I think we found your dress!"

**...**

"Neji, please tell us what you think about this case."

"Naruto is an idiot that should stay away from Hinata. No way in hell I want him to be in my family in some few years. I deny this relationship. Naruto, go and die in hell."

Said boy sent daggers.

"Kiba, what do you think?" Shikamaru quickly asked, not wanting a fight to burst out. But he soon regretted it.

"I stand with Neji in this…" Kiba said loud and clear, "a guy as blond as him shouldn't be together with sweet and lovely Hinata, if you kiss her again your dead."

"What, has that moron kissed her?" Neji roared, venom shining towards the blond Uzumaki.

"Lee, what do you think about Naruto and Hinata going out?"

"I think it is great. Soon will youthful babies lie in a stroller and I would be the cool Uncle Lee."

If people thought Neji and Kiba would like this statement they were clearly wrong. Their faces were so red it could blow up every second.

"Sai, what do you think?"

"I think they would make a cute couple though I highly doubt they could make any babies since he hasn't any balls."

"What did you say?" Naruto growled and would have killed him if it weren't for the fact that he was still bound to the chair.

"Chouji, tell us what you think."

"I think they are cute together, and I know they like each other very much. But I think it is far too early to talk about babies..."

"Enough about these freaking babies!" Neji said, taking his hand towards his head, probably getting migraine.

"Shino, what do you think?"

"I think it is okay," he said as calm as ever, "why? Because I know they like each other and Naruto knows now that if he hurts her in any way I would kill him."

Silence...

"And I also think they could be together." Shikamaru drawled lazily, "It's clearly what Naruto thinks so we let the question pass him. It's quite known what the votes are but let's counts them again, everyone denying raise up your hands."

Two angry-looking boys did what he said.

"Okay, two. Now everyone who agrees to it, rise up your hands."

Five hands (Naruto was as remembered tied to the chair) rose up. "Okay, five against two… Naruto can be together with Hinata." Shikamaru looked up at the sky, "the case is finally closed. Now I'm going to go cloud-watching."

He, Chouji, Shion and the other boys disappeared shortly afterwards.

Naruto was left alone, he couldn't move. "HEY, lock me up! Hello, get me out of here! Someone…, anyone?"

No one came. Only silence.

He groaned, "Fuck…"

* * *

_End of chapter._

So, what do you think? A bit fast-moving, boring, okay, horrible or fine..? What do you think about my writing? Any ideas how to improve them? If you want to please tell me:)

¤ I've thought a lot of this story and I have figured out the next chapter would be the last. I'm writing it at the moment so you will hopefully get it soon...but I think you understand now **soon** probably is a month or two ahead...

Until last time; Bye~!


	6. Chapter 6

I haven't the right word in my english vocabulary to express how much I am sorry for this _freaking_ long delay, but I will try...; I'm so, so, s_o_ damn sorry for the wait! I deeply apologize, *bows countless of times*, and I hope you will forgive me though you have good reasons not to. - I don't even have a good reason _why_ it took so long...lets just say 'the real' life and misunderstandings have a great deal...:P

But anyways, lets just start!

Thanks to _Kay-Griffin, maggieannteslow, just4theheckofit98, Rosy Tiger _and _maxlax _for reviewing the last chapter...thanks to you all who has reviewed this story! *Gives you all hugs* I'm just so happy! XD

**Disclaimer;** Kishimoto owns Naruto, _maxlax_ the idea and I found the photo on animegalleries...

Read and enjoy~!

* * *

Our well-known blonde favourite ninja sat on one of the many chairs outside Ichiraku's Ramen. It wasn't a very strange sight, he had done it countless of times before. The only thing odd was that instead of his usual jumpsuit, he wore a light-blue shirt and black pants. No dirt stain lay on them, they were perfectly neat and clean, and Naruto knew by the many compliments by friends he looked good.

He sat there, that was the other strange part, he just sat there back as straight as a tree, hands calmly by his sides with no intentions of using them any time soon. Some people even believed he was a statue, a rock shaped and painted as him the owner of the shop had made to honour their most frequent costumer.

The only sign proving them wrong was his head switching from one side to another, clearly watching or waiting on someone or something to come. People knew it was someone, his fingers played a bit to the table when the person didn't show up, and a look of anxiousness framed his face longer and longer before disappearing. Sometimes he checked the clock, his shoulder shrinking a bit when his eyes drifted away.

Yes, Naruto Uzumaki clearly waited for someone, but whom?

-:-:-:-

She checked her make-up, then the dress. Seconds her face got her fully attention, she brushed unseeing stains away from her clothes. But no matter what, her eyes always saw something to change.

Hinata took a staggering breath. She closed her eyes, and another shaking breath soon followed.

"I-I need to calm down." She whispered to herself, and blinked. Had she seen the time right… she breath-holding fixated her eyes on the clock again and gasped. _ The clock's five past six!_

How in the world did she manage to forget the time? She flew out from her room and out of the Hyuuga-compound as fast as her legs could carry her.

People on the street jumped to safety when the shy heiress ran past them in an unbelievable speed no one guessed she had. Her eyes glowed, they were filled with pure determination and she didn't spare a single glance to the other people on her way. Her mind was only stuck on one thing. _Him._

After what felt like hours she lessened her many steps, she began to fix her hair and slightly crumbled dress and her look became more and more insecure, nervous.

She bit her lower lip and looked shyly forwards. Then she halted for a second… and stared, speechless.

For wasn't it her Naruto-kun who sat lonely on one of the bar shaped chairs, dressed in a shirt suiting his heavenly eyes that were locked at her, only her?

…

Naruto simply stared in shook, was it really Hinata? She took some steps towards him, and after blinking his eyes some times he knew it was her.

She was wearing a lovely blackberry colored dress that reached just above her knees; it framed her womanly forms pretty good he had to say. Her hair was playfully put together atop of her head, some hair strains here and there, and with two earlobe, a small necklace and short heeled black shoes Naruto wasn't the only one to stare.

Her cheeks flushed this rare color, a grin rose on his face ever so slowly.

She stopped right in front of him, "s-sorry I'm late!" she apologized voice breathless from running.

"It's okay." He smiled, gesturing to the seat next to him. She gracefully sat down, checking him up with a closer look. Unnoticed for her he did the exactly the same.

They nodded for themselves, pleased by the sight.

"So…do you like ramen?" he foolishly asked when he sensed an unwelcoming pause coming close, Hinata giggled cutely for an answer.

As in cue two white bowls filled up with steaming hot noodles and other tasty ingredients was put on the table, two pair of chopsticks got handed to them as well.

They thanked the owner for the food and shortly afterwards took the first bite.

An easy conversation took place, both laughing and having a good time. "I'm not kidding, Hinata. I have a magic hand, look!" he showed her that hand, putting it on the table's surface while he kept going. "You don't believe me? Then listen to this! During the mission we had together strange things happened, something that just could be caused by magic. Do you remember when you hit that tree-trunk? If I remember correctly your forehead hurt a lot, but after I put this hand to it, it stopped giving you pain."

He blushed, not forgetting the part that they almost kissed, a look at her made he know she thought the same.

He coughed to hide his blush, continued the talk in hope it would change direction of thoughts, "and later that day, when it became night we were laying close to each other because of the loudly thunder outside, remember?"

She did.

"You felt bad for waking me up since none of us could sleep, I brushed your arm with this special hand and pop, you were sleeping!"

If he thought this would ease up the embarrassment he was highly mistaking, his face was as red as hers and he blamed himself for saying things like that. Now she probably thought he was weird and scary!

"… D-do you have…" He looked up by the sweet low voice that filled his eardrums, "…a-another thing that happened to p-prove your hand is m-magical?"

He nodded eagerly and said, "Yeah, while you slept your hand kinda got drawn to mine. I suddenly felt this warm cozy feeling and looking down we were tangled together…eh…our hands were..."

He yet again blushed of the memory and ate some of the now cold noodles, trying to get the awkward minute apart.

"So… you look very nice in that dress."

"T-thank you!" she blushed, "you l-look good to."

Her face shone as a streetlight, the way his grin glittered by her compliment didn't help much.

"S-so," she was wondering when she became so brave; she had never dared to talk to him so much before, "h-have anything s-special happened to you l-lately?"

He scratched his head, "well, yesterday I kinda got kidnapped by the guys… not all of them were happy when they found out we were going out… And you?"

"Ino, Sakura, Tenten a-and Temari helped me find a d-dress for tonight, t-they had heard the news f-from Kiba…"

"So something interesting happened to the both of us…" Naruto made an inner note to kick Kiba's ass next time he saw him, he shook his head getting a confused look by his girlfriend. "Its nothing, I just thought of something I certainly will do later..."

"Okay", she smiled.

He smiled back.

-:-:-:-:-

"Do you think its cold outside?"

Hinata looked up; they had finished the meal and were slowly walking to her home. They had been silent, being as close as possible without touching.

"A-a bit, but somewhat g-good cold..."

He laughed, "Good cold? Is it even possible?"

She blushed; Naruto took the time to shyly grip her hand in a questioning gesture. She took a good hold of it as in 'yes'.

They had an unbelievable great first date, they both wordlessly agreed on it. Even if it had been awkward some times they didn't have the slightest hint of regret, they both had enjoyed the night together.

To their both disappointment the gate showing the Hyuuga-compound relieved itself for them, far too early for their likings.

They stopped, turned their attention to one another as they shyly took a better grip of the holding hands.

"I have had a wonderful d...date." Naruto confessed still a bit new to use the last word, Hinata smiled softly and nodded in agreement. "M-me to…"

Time passed, they waited for the other one to speak.

…

Naruto let out a shaky breath and thought, biting his lips ever so slightly. He wanted to do something, something he had wished to do in many long days. But sadly he'd never got the opportunity; it had always been someone interrupting them, and if it wasn't other people being the problem the timing and atmosphere hadn't felt _right_.

He looked at her with the sky-blue eyes of his, contemplating whether or not to do it. Did he dare? He didn't know how she would react to it, he had heard from Shikamaru countless of times women were unpredictable… and very dangerous.

Did he mean Hinata and the other girls to? They were sixteen, were they a woman then?

Those questions swam in his head, silly though important (in his head) wonders; it broke both his concentration and his decisions.

Moments flew away thinking back and forth, he wasn't used to think those switching thoughts, he felt unsure and normally he would have taken a choice by now. He let out a low sigh of self-centered irritation, 'What the hell…' he thought as he made his move.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Hinata gasped as she felt a strong arm around her waist, she looked up noticing he had stepped closer to her. His eyes met hers glinting fox-like, and before she had the time to either blush or stutter something he inched his face till it melted into hers.

A delighted sigh slipped out from their lips, her hands shyly touched his shoulders before innocently landing around his neck. The noise he made let her know he liked it, both his arms was now around her waist, barely touching her lower half. Another pleased sigh got heard, and a little tongue got mixed in the process.

They were completely touching each other now, feeling the other ones body under their few layers of clothes.

If it weren't for the fact that they were standing in the middle of street, crowded by people both familiar and strange, Naruto had to admit he wasn't sure if he _could_ control the raging hunger inside, urging to break loose from his mental grip.

Against his will naughty and more naughty thoughts and images got revealed for him, and because he held Hinata so strongly in their hot-breathing embrace, they didn't go away even if he used every horrible word he knew in his silent verbal fight.

The only thing the two teenagers could think of was in front of them, nicely well in arms reach. The sounds were low sighs and groans in delight but usually they were quiet, as if the faintest sound could destroy the moment.

The mere thought that they were in middle of the street, _in front _of the Hyuuga-compound itself were as pulverized in bits and moments, deeper into the strong passion they had experienced only days before.

The lip lock had been as forceful as the time in the tent, and as last time their senses got weak how further they became engulfed, and every sense of thought vanished as another pure moment of shivering ecstasy appeared almost up from nowhere.

They sighed out loud completely forgetting where they stood, who they were and what is presentable to do in this time of day.

Suddenly, thanks to his ninja-skills, Naruto could feel something; a presence he hoped was an illusion his angry brain had come up with. He froze for a second, something Hinata noticed. She parted her lips from his, questioning him with her look. His whole attention was directed to a shadow beside them, Hinata let out a surprised gasp when she saw who it was, her father.

'Oh crap' Naruto thought silently knowing she thought the same thing, 'this will _not_ end well.'

"F-father!" Hinata cracked out releasing herself from her boyfriend's grip. He was so scared he didn't notice.

"Hinata…" a cold glare changed towards the blonde young man beside her.

Silence mingled, other people around stopped what they were doing curiously observing what were going on, silently knowing something would happen.

Nothing further got said. Hiashi was analyzing him, noting his blonde messy hair and whisker-like markings on each cheek. Naruto knew _he_ knew who he was and he also knew by the weakest reflection in his face he didn't like it.

For a time feeling like a life-long lifetime the busy and noisy Konoha was silent. Not a baby-cry or bird-chirp got heard, not even a low _crunch_ that was made if people took a step on the ground. Every single man, woman and child was silent.

"…have you no _shame_?" the boy and girl jumped by the emotionless voice that got revealed when her father opened his mouth. Hiashi Hyuuga was not famous for making a fuss so no one was surprised his volume didn't change when he continued. "Do you know what you do to our clan doing ungraceful things like that? You are the _heiress_; an heiress doesn't mingle so late at night, wearing that kind of clothes that will make the clan stand in a bad light."

Even though he talked to Hinata his eyes stood still on his colorful blue, inside him Naruto was far from calm.

"The Hyuuga-clan have gained trust and honor in hundreds of years, by doing unheard things does not make your road to the top easy, especially when you do it right outside the compound. What in the world are you thinking, _child_, being accompanied around with this sort of…thing!?"

A glistening silence passed, everyone held their breaths for what will happen next. It had been a lot of episodes revolving the nine-tails container, especially in the past but no one could predict that the stern and cold Hiashi Hyuuga, the leader of the Hyuuga-clan himself would appear saying offending words straight at his face. The fearful man rarely left the compound for times other than the necessary occasions, and even though he appeared just right in front of his house people knew they had just seen something extraordinary.

They anticipated waited for the ruckus the blonde Kyuubi-container soon will make. They didn't have to wait long.

"I don't know what I'm going to do with you, bringing inappropriate happenings in and damaging the Hyuuga-clan, your own blood. Foolish girl, how am I going to fix-"

Naruto closed his eyes, locked his ears and suppressed the urge to hit him with a kunai. His eyes opened shortly, breathing out hidden-stained anger, one of his hands lingering by the pocket on his pants where he knew he had a kunai for special cases.

'Like this one...' he thought and forcefully dismissed the idea. 'I don't think it is the wisest to have damaging wishes for my girlfriend's father…'

"You are dishonorable, foolish, short-minded, weak-"

"You don't dare to end that sentence."

Hiashi hardly flinched by the interruption, not even blinking when Naruto's eyes met his own. 'He must have suspecting it...or is he just good in hiding emotions…'

"Don't you dare saying something like that to Hinata-_chan_," 'There' he thought, pleased, 'there I got a reaction. Though just a small narrow in his eyes but a reaction none the less.' He had to fight the urge to smile.

"If you dare saying something like that to her ever again I am going to slit your throat."

People gasped and if it were possible their eyes would fall out, this had for certain been an evening to remember.

'Oh damn, maybe I shouldn't have said that..." Naruto thought when he heard Hinata's audible sound of shock; he could almost _feel_ she got paler. 'Okay,' he thought seeing she had a desperate need for oxygen, 'I have now taught myself to _never_ ever death-threat my girlfriend's father...' he mentally added it in his 'things-not-to-do' - list.

Hiashi still looked at him, and finally after many minutes the clan-leader said; "What was that, did I hear a threat? I don't think you understand who you are talking to, you young…_thing_."

The last word got uttered like he just saw an annoying bug and Naruto wouldn't be surprised if he saw him like one. "I have heard rumors about you, the living container of the nine-tails fox. I know, despite the fact a dangerous monster are inside you, you are just a weak, little thing that has no right to be called a man. I doubt you would win a fight without relying on the fox's powers."

He saw red, "Do you want to say that again, asshole?" followed by another gasp by a nicely dressed girl.

"Wow, you called me an asshole." For the first time an emotion got heard by the leader of the Hyuuga-clan; sarcasm. "The expectations I had of you have now been fulfilled."

Blue eyes became smaller as a sound he guessed was a laugh got heard, his date shifted uncomfortable where she stood. He knew the sound of her father's laugh weren't a pleasant memory, he had heard he was very strict towards her in her childhood and a simple glance told him he still was.

"Really, you had expectations of me? Man, how glad I am to hear it! Can't wait till you become my 'father in law'!"

He blushed when he realized what he just said. He as good as proposed to Hinata!

People gasped and began murmuring around; Hiashi looked like he wanted to kill him as soon as possible and Hinata… well, she looked like she would fall dead on the spot any second. Her skin was as pale as snow and she looked as flushed as ever. Naruto didn't doubt he looked the same as her.

"If…if I have something to say about it _that _will never happen." Hashi's voice was strained; he seemed to have an inner fight whether or not to strangle him right then and there.

Naruto kept his mouth shut knowing the things he inwardly wanted so much to say, would just make matters worse and therefore simply stared at him. A shivering icy silence passed.

-:-:-:-

Hinata trembled; her eyes would soon start watering out masses of tears by all the emotions burbling inside her. She was scared. She didn't know what he and her father would do; she had no idea how she was going to stop them if they were going to do what they _clearly_ wished to do.

She didn't tremble just by fear but by a rage she held to her father. _Why must he be so stern? Why must he be so __rude to Naruto, what has he done to him? Just because he has the Nine-tails fox inside him doesn't mean he is a monster! _

Hinata, unnoticed by the two angry men in front of her, greeted her teeth and pressed each of her hands tightly together.

_He thinks _I _shame the clan but he does acting like that. Doesn't he know how embarrassed I am of him right now!_

She breathed in and out and in and out again. And directed her thoughts to something completely else…

_Think that Naruto said that! Think that he implied mar__rying me sometime in the future! _She was overjoyed by glee.

_Oh my…me marrying dear Naruto-kun! I have never thought of it before…_

_**Shut up! **_Her darker thoughts cried. _**You're giving me a bloody headache! The reason why you never ever have thought about it is**__** because you know it never EVER will happen! He just said it to get a reaction from your father, no way in hell he will marry you in the end. He will probably marry Sakura-chan**__**~.**_

_B-b-b-but he is dating me, together with me-_

_**So? Nothing and no one says your oh-so-romantic 'love' will last forever. **_

_How do you know it wouldn't? _Her light thoughts challenged, getting a snort back.

_**How do I know? Well, sweetheart, if you haven't noticed yet he haven't seen if you are alright. You look like you would pass out in every moment now but he hasn't asked or showed in any way concern in your wellbeing. Clearly, he doesn't care about you! **_

The inner argue died quickly afterwards, and Hinata looked quite sullen when Naruto broke off of the staring-match between him and her father and drew his attention towards her.

She looked like the last hour had come.

"Hinata, are you okay?" his voice filled with concern, her head jerked up and a surprised but relieved face got turned towards him.

"…Y-yeah! I-I just…t-thought of something..."

His face clearly told her he didn't believe her, but he let it pass for this time, a movement had caught his eye.

Hiashi Hyuuga, the fearful leader of one of the mighty, powerful and very dangerous clans of the village, turned his back to them and as elegant not even men his age could, he stepped through the Hyuuga-compound's gates and vanished from their sight.

When people realized the scene was over they started to move again, everyone having juicy news to tell the other people who weren't there.

-:-:-:-

Blue eyes met white lavender, the now all alone couple couldn't really comprehend what just happened. Shock wasn't the right word to express, and they brains weren't capable to find a better word. They simply looked at each other.

"Did… did your father agree to our relationship in the end?"

Hinata wasn't sure, though she hoped it. They stood by the other one's side, thinking back at the scene.

"I-is this the e-end of our d-date?" She held her breath.

"I think so- no, wait!" a smile painted his lips, "your father didn't actually tell you to come inside… come on!"

He took her hand in his, both a bit embarrassed by the many stares they got, and began to walk the way they had come.

A rare comfortable silence passed, grins had appeared on both of their faces. Sign of early night showed itself when people everywhere they saw began to light lamps and gave the street they walked on a romantic touch. Especially when two butterflies with amazingly decorated patterns on their wings flew across them, clearly playing with each other. The noisy voices of day disappeared and the night got a sweet, nice peace.

"So…" Naruto said seeing the end of the main street; despite the lovely moment they just had, he had no idea what to do and he wanted to do everything instead of getting an awkward silence. An idea popped to his mind and with heavenly blue eyes glittering he asked his girlfriend, "…Do you want to try 'Ramen in Box'?"

* * *

**Last author's** **note! **

'Ramen in Box' is, for those who don't remember it, what Naruto flew and got...and ate in the first chapter, just when the mission had started...(check first chapter if you want...)

Well, are you mad/disappointed about the length of it? I feel absolutely horrible..., after having a 'break' just before the last chapter, in many, many months, the ending is in _only_ around 4000 words...yeah... and I don't have a good excuse either!

Well, apart from that, what do you think? Good ending, bad ending...etc...? Too fast, too short (lol, I know it is...)? Please tell me!

After I'm done with my other NaruHina fic(only two chapters left! O.o), this chapter will be re-read and edited. I know it is full of grammatical errors and so...But apart from that(again!), the plot was good? Am I right? Thank you, _maxlax,_ for that! XD

Hoped you like this fic! :D

This was the last time; Bye~!


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